What happened during the Night of the Long Knives?

The Night of the Long Knives was a brutal political purge orchestrated by Adolf Hitler on June 30, 1934, to consolidate his absolute power as dictator of Germany.1

Fearing that the paramilitary SA (Brownshirts) and its chief of staff, Ernst Röhm, had become too powerful and threatened his relationship with the German army, Hitler ordered the SS to eliminate the organization's leadership. Under the false allegation that Röhm was planning a putsch, Hitler’s elite guards executed Röhm and many of his lieutenants without trial.12

The purge also served as an opportunity to murder other perceived enemies of the regime, including former chancellor Kurt von Schleicher and Nazi leader Gregor Strasser. This violent act effectively ended the threat of a "second revolution" from radical Nazi factions and secured the support of the military. By removing these obstacles, Hitler paved the way to merge the offices of president and chancellor following the death of Paul von Hindenburg shortly thereafter, establishing a fully totalitarian state.12