Hitler’s Rise to Power p.5
The Establishment of a Dictatorship
Now in full control of the country, Hitler and the other leaders of the Nazi party began to establish their dictatorship, and they began with the suppression of the remaining opposition. The Communist Party had already been quashed, but the Social Democrats still had seats in parliament, meaning they did still have some level of power. Because of this, the Nazis shut down their operations and seized their assets. Hitler also banned all Trade Unions in May 1933 and arrested the leaders, instead creating the German Labour Front to represent all workers as well as employers in an umbrella organisation.
Over the following months, the Nazis — with the help of the SA — intimidated the rest of the political parties into dissolving themselves, including the Nazis’ coalition partner. By July, Hitler had managed to ensure that the NSDAP was the sole legal political party in Germany. Interestingly, though, the Nazis themselves had disagreement and unrest internally. The SA began to demand more political and military power, threatening Hitler and many other leaders of such industries. In response, Hitler purged the SA leadership, particularly Ernst Rohm, by arresting and shooting them in an event known as ‘The Night of the Long Knives’. Reactions were mixed, but most Germans believed Hitler was doing the right thing, and so there was no serious pushback or repercussions suffered.
President Hindenburg died in August 1934 and, conveniently, the previous day a law was passed which stated that upon his death, the position of President would be abolished and its powers merged with the Chancellor’s. This is particularly notable because the office of the President was the singular remaining legal channel that could pose a threat to Hitler and remove him from power. By destroying this position, he was completely and utterly all-powerful in the eyes of the law. Interestingly, the general public approved this move by 88% in the 1934 German Referendum, further affirming Hitler’s mandate to govern in the way he was.
Now that Hitler had sufficient political authority, he began to assert his power over the military, too. He forced both his War Minister and Army Commander to resign through blackmail: he asserted that War Minister Blomberg’s wife was a prostitute and Commander Fritsch had engaged in ‘homosexual activity’, leaving the two of them in disgrace. Both of them had objected to preparing the German army for war by 1938, leading them to fall onto Hitler’s bad side, so he assumed the title of commander-in-chief and consequently controlled the army. At the same time, various other commanders and officer were removed, all accused of not being pro-Nazi enough.
It’s also important to note that Hitler rooted most of his laws and decrees in the Reichstag Fire Decree and Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution, thus giving his dictatorship and subsequent policies the appearance of legality. The Enabling Act was also renewed by the Reichstag twice, each time for four years, and elections were still held — although the only options were Nazis, of course, and significant and widespread voter intimidation took place.
By 1938, Hitler was well and truly the Führer of Germany. He’d wormed his way into politics and up through the ranks very craftily, and managed to create a completely legal dictatorship, in control of every aspect of the country. He no longer had any political competition nor was he threatened by any manner in which he could be impeached or removed, and his authority over the military was established. All of this authority at home in Germany meant Hitler was well set-up to begin his international campaign for power, and his war on Europe could begin; his ultimate goal was ready to be achieved.
