"Night of the Long Knives"
1. Find the sources on page 178. What reasons can you infer from each source (Sources 10.12 to 10.20) as to why Hitler got away with the Night of the Long Knives?
Source 10.12: This source says that it was an act of self defense by the state. It justifies the acts of the government, telling the public that the Night of the Long Knives was necessary to get rid of the treason within the government.
Source 10.13: This source also says how killing these people was necessary. Hitler says that he was the "Supreme Judge of the German people" and that he was responsible for the fate of the country. He believed that these people were threats to the success of the country and had to be removed.
Source 10.14: This source shows that some of the public thought that Hitler's actions were justified. They thought that his actions "prevented a much greater bloodbath." They believed that Hitler was cleansing the government and "paved the way for a moral renewal."
Source 10.15: This source claims that the killing of the people not connected with Rohm was done against the will of Hitler. This shows that killing people connected with Rohm was necessary to "purify" the government.
Source 10.16: This source shows that the people thought that he killed "traitors and murderers" so that his actions were justified. The army believed that they should thank him with devotion and loyalty.
Source 10.17: This source shows that not everyone supported Hitler's actions in the Night of the Long Knives. Although they didn't think it was right, they couldn't do anything because they were to terrified that they would be killed as well.
Source 10.18: This shows the public that President Hindenburg approves of Hitler's actions, saying that he saved the nation from serious danger. The public sees this and supports him also because they think the president knows what is good for the country.
Source 10.19: This source says that Hitler was widely supported and just wanted the best for Germany, and so they trusted that he would do the right thing. If he thought it was in the country's best interest to kill these people, then they supported that.
Source 10.20: This source shows that some people were happy that Hitler got rid of the threats, even if he didn't do it in the "right" way.
2. Read page 179. Why was the Night of the Long Knives so significant in Hitler's consolidation of power? (Be sure to use specific details in your answer.)
The Night of the Long Knives was very significant in Hitler's consolidation of power because he eliminated his opponents. He suppressed the radicals in the SA and won the support of the elite and the army. All of the soldiers took an oath of personal loyalty to Hitler, which meant that they had to follow his orders no matter what. Through the Night of the Long Knives, Hitler gained the acceptance of legalized murder of opponents. This intimidated future opponents. A lot of German people believed that Hitler would act only for the good of the nation.
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