Nazis' Consolidation of Their Power in Germany

Nazis' Consolidation of Their Power in Germany

When Hitler became chancellor in January 1933, he was far from

achieving the amount of power that he ultimately gained during the

course of the Nazi regime. There were various obstacles to overcome in

order to gain total power and to fully consolidate the rise of the

Nazis. Thus, the Nazis came to power in 1933 through various factors

ranging from their use of violence to the use of propaganda in gaining

support, as well as the ability to exploit opponents and their

weaknesses, particularly the previous Weimar government. Despite these

tactics, it is evident that the Nazis legally came to power as seen

with the elections held in March 1933 to secure the people’s votes, as

well as the Enabling Act, which legally declared and allowed Hitler to

exercise dictatorial powers.

Firstly, it can be seen that the role of terror contributed greatly to

the Nazis consolidation of power 1933-34. Opponents needed to be

eliminated in order to access full control, and this elimination was

necessary in order to secure Hitler’s power. This was most evident

with the mass purging of the SA and its leader Ernst Rohm during the

Night of the Long Knives in June 1934. As source D states ‘If disaster

were to be prevented at all, action must be taken with lightening

speed. Only a ruthless and bloody intervention might still perhaps

stifle the spread of revolt’. This statement from Hitler’s address to

the Reichstag following the Night of the Long Knives implies that the

purges were nec...

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...gh the contract was signed, it was evident that Hitler

would not abide to it, and thus by securing the church’s silence

through the concordat, he was able to achieve consolidation by not

having interference from the church.

Overall, it can be seen that it was due to a range of key factors that

led to the Nazi consolidation of power in 1933-34. In September 1934

Hitler declared at the Nuremberg Rally (Source H) that ‘in the next

thousand years there will be no other revolution in Germany’. This

statement shows that the Nazis are in control and aim to be for the

next thousand years, i.e. the Thousand Year Reich. This shows that the

events from January 1933 with Hitler becoming chancellor to August

1934 whereby he becomes Reich Chancellor and Fuhrer, all contributed

to the Nazi consolidation of power in Germany 1933-34.