The Night of Long Knives | Full History Documentary Watch 'Road to Defeat: Adolf Hitler's Fatal Mistakes' here: Part 1 - 00:00:00 Part 2 - 00:46:15 A three-day killing spree by the National Socialists from June 30 to July 2, 1934, known as the "Night of the Long Knives," aimed to eliminate opponents and rivals within their own ranks and among the bourgeoisie. To secure absolute power in the Reich and advance his vision of German hegemony over Europe, Hitler needed to break the SA's power. With 3.5 million members, the SA was significantly larger than the 100,000-strong Reichswehr. Ernst Röhm, his comrade-in-arms and confidant, called for a "second national revolution" with a radical social transformation. He saw "his" SA as the nucleus of a newly founded "people's militia," into which he also intended to incorporate the Reichswehr. Hitler, however, did not want an experienced military leader at his side and decided to eliminate Röhm. On the morning of June 30, he stormed the Hotel Hanselbauer in Bad Wiessee on Lake Tegernsee, where Ernst Röhm and other SA officials were staying, brandishing a pistol. Calling him a traitor, the Reich Chancellor personally arrested his old comrade. All the SA leaders, some still asleep in the hotel, were arrested by the SS and taken to the Munich-Stadelheim prison. Nineteen were immediately shot by an SS firing squad. The last victim was Ernst Röhm on July 1, 1934. In total, approximately 200 people were liquidated by the SS, SD, and Gestapo during this operation. Nazi propaganda portrayed the murders as a preventative measure against an impending SA putsch under Röhm—the so-called Röhm Putsch. In reality, it was a purge. The executions were subsequently declared by law to be acts of so-called self-defense by the state. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Subscribe to Free Documentary - History Channel for free: Facebook: Twitter: ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Free Documentary - History is dedicated to bringing high-quality documentaries to you on YouTube for free. You will see original footage, reenactments, and/or animations showing the past from a new perspective and explanations by renowned historians that make history come alive with stories about people and events that formed and continue to influence the world we live in.
