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What happened during the Night of the Long Knives in 1934?

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Third Reich — Nazi Party Adolf Hitler addressing a rally in Germany, c. 1933.

The Night of the Long Knives, which took place on June 30, 1934, was a violent purge of Nazi Party leaders and other perceived enemies orchestrated by Adolf Hitler.1

Fearing that the SA—the party's paramilitary wing—had become too powerful and threatened his relationship with the German army, Hitler ordered the SS to execute the organization's leadership. The purge resulted in the summary execution of SA chief Ernst Röhm and many of his lieutenants.123

Beyond the SA, Hitler used the event to eliminate other political rivals, including the former chancellor Kurt von Schleicher and former Nazi leader Gregor Strasser. This massacre effectively ended the prospect of a "second revolution" sought by radical elements within the party and solidified Hitler’s absolute authority. Following the death of President Paul von Hindenburg shortly thereafter, Hitler merged the offices of president and chancellor, establishing himself as the undisputed dictator of the Third Reich.13