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How did the Nazis secure enough votes to pass the Enabling Act?

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Portrait of Adolf Hitler in a collared shirt and tie, facing forward with a serious expression, circa 1933. — Adolf Hitler Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, c. 1933.

To secure the two-thirds majority required to pass the Enabling Act on March 23, 1933, the Nazi government employed a combination of political maneuvering, intimidation, and the systematic exclusion of opposition.1

Following the Reichstag fire, the Nazis used the pretext of a supposed Communist plot to suspend constitutional guarantees and suppress political rivals. By the time of the vote, the 81 Communist deputies had been either arrested or excluded from the Reichstag, effectively removing a significant block of opposition.12

To reach the necessary threshold, the Nazis secured the support of the German National People’s Party and the Centre Party through a series of assurances and promises. While the Social Democratic Party stood in opposition, they were ultimately outvoted 441 to 94. This act provided the legal basis for Adolf Hitler to assume dictatorial powers, allowing his government to issue decrees independently of the Reichstag and the presidency.13