Hitler und der "Röhm-Putsch": Mord unter Freunden
Summary
This episode of "Verbrechen der Vergangenheit" examines the Night of the Long Knives in 1934, where Hitler ordered the murder of SA leader Ernst Röhm and other rivals. Hosts discuss how the SA’s growing power and Röhm’s ambition for a "second revolution" threatened Hitler’s alliance with the military and conservative elites. The purge eliminated internal opposition, allowing Hitler to consolidate absolute power and elevate the SS as the regime’s primary enforcement tool.
Topics discussed
Introduction: The Night of the Long Knives
Origins and role of the SA (Brownshirts)
Rise of the SS and SD as elite forces
Conflict between SA, Reichswehr, and Hitler
Hitler's consolidation of power and Röhm's arrest
SA's radical agenda and internal discontent
Röhm's ambition to replace the Reichswehr
Political opposition and the Papen crisis
Hitler's alliance with the military elite
Fabricating the pretext for a purge
The arrest of SA leaders at Bad Wiessee
Execution of Röhm and other victims
Public reaction and legal justification
Aftermath: SS dominance and Hitler's absolute power
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