Early Nazi Timeline
Encyclopedia
The early timeline of Nazism
begins with its origins in 1896 and continues until Hitler's rise to power
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Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
begins with its origins in 1896 and continues until Hitler's rise to power
Hitler's rise to power
Adolf Hitler's rise to power began in Germany in September 1919 when Hitler joined the political party that was known as the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei . This political party was formed and developed during the post-World War I era...
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Prehistory of National Socialism
- 1834 the term "Nationalsozialismus" first appears in Print: Börsenblatt für den deutschen Buchhandel, page 36
- 1870 the term "National Socialism" first appears in English: "The sects of the Russian Church", The North British review, Volumes 52-53.
- 1884 "National Socialism", mentioned in "Fabian Tracts", Fabian Publications, Great Britain.
- 1896 The Czech National Social PartyCzech National Social PartyCzech National Social Party was a civic nationalist political party established in 1898 within the Young Czech Party as a nominally socialist group with a stress on achieving Czech independence from Austria–Hungary Czech National Social Party (Czech: Česká strana národně sociální) was a civic...
is formed. - 1897 Franko Stein moves a small periodical Der Hammer from Vienna to Eger.
- May 1898 Maurice BarrèsMaurice BarrèsMaurice Barrès was a French novelist, journalist, and socialist politician and agitator known for his nationalist and antisemitic views....
, while standing as a nationalist candidate for Nancy, France, coins the term "Socialist Nationalism". - 1898 German Workers Congress organized by Stein in Eger (ChebChebCheb is a city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic, with about 33,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the river Ohře , at the foot of one of the spurs of the Smrčiny and near the border with Germany...
). - Apr 1902 Organization of Nationalistic Labor took place in Saaz.
- Nov 15, 1903 Deutsche Arbeiterpartei in Österreich formed. (DAP)
- 1904 Hans KnirschHans KnirschHans Knirsch was an Austro-German activist from Moravia for Austrian National Socialism. After the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he led the original party in Bohemia, called the Sudeten German National Socialist Party...
proposes to add "National Socialist" to the Austrian DAP name; rejected by party congress confrees. - 1909 "All-Austrian" congress of the German Workers’ Party held in Prague.
1914
- Aug 1, 1914 World War I breaks out.
- Aug 2, 1914 Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
receives permission to enlist; joins the 16th Reserve Infantry Regiment in MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat... - Oct 30, 1914 Adolf Hitler transferred to regimental staff as runner.
- Nov 1, 1914 Adolf Hitler promoted to GefreiterGefreiterGefreiter is the German, Swiss and Austrian equivalent for the military rank Private . Gefreiter was the lowest rank to which an ordinary soldier could be promoted. As a military rank it has existed since at least the 16th century...
(senior private or corporal).
1918
- Mar 7, 1918 Anton DrexlerAnton DrexlerAnton Drexler was a German right-wing political leader of the 1920s, known for being Adolf Hitler's mentor during his early days in politics.-Biography:...
organized a branch of German Workers’ Peace in Munich. - Jul 17, 1918 Adolf Hitler saves life of 9th Company Commander
- Aug 4, 1918 Adolf Hitler awarded Iron Cross 1st Class.
- Oct 13, 1918 Adolf Hitler gassed near Ypres.
- Nov 7, 1918 100,000 workers march on the Royal House of Wittelsbach. Kaiser Wilhelm flees.
- Nov 8, 1918 All 22 of Germany’s lesser kings, princes, grand dukes, and ruling dukes had been desposed.
- " " Kaiser Wilhelm told to abdicate
- Nov 9, 1918 Emil Eichhorn, radical leftist of the Independent Socialists, led an armed mob; seized the HQ of Berlin
- " " Kaiser Wilhelm consents to abdicate.
- " " Social Democrats demand government from Prince Max.
- " " Friedrich Ebert assumes the chancellery.
- " " First German Republic established.
- Nov 11, 1918 First World WarWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
ended. - Nov 19, 1918 Hitler discharged from hospital at Pasewalk.
- Mid Dec, 1918 First FreikorpsFreikorpsFreikorps are German volunteer military or paramilitary units. The term was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of the 18th century onwards. Between World War I and World War II the term was also used for the paramilitary organizations that arose during...
unit formed; Maercker Volunteer Rifles.
1919
- Jan 1919 Independent Socialists and Spartacist LeagueSpartacist LeagueThe Spartacus League was a left-wing Marxist revolutionary movement organized in Germany during World War I. The League was named after Spartacus, leader of the largest slave rebellion of the Roman Republic...
staged large protests, known as the Spartacist uprisingSpartacist uprisingThe Spartacist Uprising , also known as the January uprising , was a general strike in Germany from January 5 to January 15, 1919. Its suppression marked the end of the German Revolution...
. Large sections of Berlin seized. - " " German Workers’ Peace party renamed German Workers Party.
- Jan 10, 1919 Battle of Berlin begins; Counter-revolution with Freikorps taking crucial role.
- Jan 13, 1919 Battle of Berlin finished.
- " " German Gov. moved to the city of WeimarWeimarWeimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
. - Mar 3, 1919 2nd Battle for Berlin; Communists seize Berlin;
- " " Gustav Noske appointed dictator of Germany.
- Mar 7, 1919 Communist Strike Committee withdraws proclamation and makes peace overtures to government.
- Mar 10, 1919 Gustav Noske orders Peoples’ Naval Division disbanded. Battle for Berlin over.
- Mar 1919 Adolf Hitler finishes job of guarding Russian prisoners.
- Apr 14, 1919 Freikorps suppress communists in Dresden.
- Apr 16, 1919 "Battle" of the Bavarian government troops at DachauDachauDachau is a town in Upper Bavaria, in the southern part of Germany. It is a major district town—a Große Kreisstadt—of the administrative region of Upper Bavaria, about 20 km north-west of Munich. It is now a popular residential area for people working in Munich with roughly 40,000 inhabitants...
. Communists defeat republican forces. - Apr 18, 1919 Freikorps suppress communists in Brunswick.
- Apr 27, 1919 Battle for Munich between Communists and Freikorps units.
- May 2, 1919 City of Munich taken; not declared secure until May 6; approximately 1200 Communists slaughtered.
- May 10, 1919 Freikorps suppress communists in Leipzig.
- Jun 22, 1919 German Reichstag ratify the Versailles Treaty.
- Jun 28, 1919 Versailles Treaty signed in the Hall of Mirrors (Palace of Versailles)Hall of Mirrors (Palace of Versailles)The Hall of Mirrors is the central gallery of the Palace of Versailles and is renowned as being one of the most famous rooms in the world.As the principal and most remarkable feature of King Louis XIV of France's third building campaign of the Palace of Versailles , construction of the Hall of...
. - 1919 FreikorpsFreikorps in the BalticAfter 1918, the term Freikorps was used for the paramilitary organizations that sprang up around the German Empire, including in the Baltic states as soldiers returned in defeat from World War I...
fight the Red Army in the Baltic, eventually retreat in chaos - 1919 First Silesian uprisingSilesian UprisingsThe Silesian Uprisings were a series of three armed uprisings of the Poles and Polish Silesians of Upper Silesia, from 1919–1921, against German rule; the resistance hoped to break away from Germany in order to join the Second Polish Republic, which had been established in the wake of World War I...
, many Freikorps see combat
Weimar Republic
- Aug 11, 1919 The Weimar Constitution is announced.
- Sep 12, 1919 Adolf Hitler's inspection of the German Workers' Party in the Sterneckerbräu brewery, in Munich.
1920
- Jan 1920 The DAP grew to 190 members.
- Feb 20, 1920 DAP changes name to National Socialist German Workers’ Party.
- Feb 1920 Inter-Allied Control Commission order 2/3 of Freikorps disbanded.
- Feb 24, 1920 First public meeting of the NSDAP. The party announces its first programme, known as the "25 points."
- Mar 13-17, 1920 Kapp PutschKapp PutschThe Kapp Putsch — or more accurately the Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch — was a 1920 coup attempt during the German Revolution of 1918–1919 aimed at overthrowing the Weimar Republic...
- Mar 31, 1920 Adolf Hitler mustered out of the military.
- Apr 3, 1920 21 different Freikorps units, under the command of General Baron Oskar von WatterOskar von WatterOskar Freiherr von Watter was a German Lieutenant General, and came from an old Pomeranian noble family....
, annihilate the Ruhr Red uprising in five days; thousands killed. - Apr 1920 Gov stops paying Freikorps units.
- May 10, 1920 Dr. Joseph Wirth and Walter Rathenau announce their "Policy of Fulfillment"; not received well by nationalist groups.
- Aug 11, 1920 National Disarmament Law takes effect; disbanded civil guards
- Dec 17, 1920 NSDAP buys its first paper, the Voelkischer Beobachter.
- Dec 1920 NSDAP total party membership comes to 2000.
- 1920 Second Silesian uprisingSilesian UprisingsThe Silesian Uprisings were a series of three armed uprisings of the Poles and Polish Silesians of Upper Silesia, from 1919–1921, against German rule; the resistance hoped to break away from Germany in order to join the Second Polish Republic, which had been established in the wake of World War I...
, German Freikorps see more combat - 1920 Many freikorps disbanded. Some go underground, to reappear later
1921
- 1921 Third Silesian uprisingSilesian UprisingsThe Silesian Uprisings were a series of three armed uprisings of the Poles and Polish Silesians of Upper Silesia, from 1919–1921, against German rule; the resistance hoped to break away from Germany in order to join the Second Polish Republic, which had been established in the wake of World War I...
, German forces see more combat - Hermann ErhardtHermann ErhardtHermann Erhardt was a German actor who played in more than 50 movies, among them Heimkehr and A Devil of a Woman.-External references:...
forms Organisation ConsulOrganisation ConsulOrganisation Consul was an ultra-nationalist force operating in Germany in 1921 and 1922. It was formed by members of the Marinebrigade Ehrhardt, a Freikorps unit which disbanded after the Kapp Putsch failed to overthrow the German Weimar Republic...
paramilitary group out of members of his banned Freikorps
1922
- 1922 prototype versions of the Hitler YouthHitler YouthThe Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
form - Jan 12, 1922 Adolf Hitler sentenced to three months for disturbance of Sept 14 1921.
- Jun 24, 1922 Hitler Incarcerated.
- Jun 24, 1922 German Foreign Minister Walther RathenauWalther RathenauWalther Rathenau was a German Jewish industrialist, politician, writer, and statesman who served as Foreign Minister of Germany during the Weimar Republic...
assassinated, some involved are in the Organisation ConsulOrganisation ConsulOrganisation Consul was an ultra-nationalist force operating in Germany in 1921 and 1922. It was formed by members of the Marinebrigade Ehrhardt, a Freikorps unit which disbanded after the Kapp Putsch failed to overthrow the German Weimar Republic... - Jul 27, 1922 Hitler released.
- Jul 1922 670 RMGerman reichsmarkThe Reichsmark was the currency in Germany from 1924 until June 20, 1948. The Reichsmark was subdivided into 100 Reichspfennig.-History:...
= 1 US$ - Aug 1922 2,000 RM = 1 USD
- Oct 28, 1922 Benito MussoliniBenito MussoliniBenito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
establishes his FascistFascismFascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
dictatorship in Italy. - Oct 1922 4,500 RM = 1 USD
- Nov 22, 1922 Dr. Wirth leaves office
- Nov 1922 10,000 RM = 1 USD
- Dec 27, 1922 France occupies the RuhrRuhrThe Ruhr is a medium-size river in western Germany , a right tributary of the Rhine.-Description:The source of the Ruhr is near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet...
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1923
- Feb 1923 Reichsbank buys back RM; stabilizes RM at 20,000 to 1 USD
- May 4, 1923 RM 40,000 = 1 USD
- May 27, 1923 Albert Leo Schlageter, a German freebooter and saboteur was executed by a French firing squad in the Ruhr. Hitler declared him a hero that the German people was not worthy to possess.
- Jun 1, 1923 RM 70,000-1 USD
- Jun 30, 1923 RM 150,000-1USD
- Aug 1-7, 1923 RM 3,500,000-1USD
- Aug 13, 1923 Dr. Wilhelm Cuno (No party affiliation) leaves office
- Aug 15, 1923 RM 4,000,000-1USD
- Sep 1, 1923 RM 10,000,000-1USD
- Sep 24, 1923 Chancellor Stresemann ends the passive resistance in the Ruhr; infuriates the nationalists.
- Sep 30, 1923 Major Fedor von Bock crushes a coup attempt by the Black Reichswehr.
- " " RM 60,000,000-1USD
- Oct 6, 1923 Dr. Gustav StresemannGustav Stresemannwas a German politician and statesman who served as Chancellor and Foreign Minister during the Weimar Republic. He was co-laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1926.Stresemann's politics defy easy categorization...
(People’s) forms 2nd cabinet - Oct 20, 1923 General Alfred Mueller marched on Saxony to prevent a communist takeover.
- " " General Otto von LossowOtto von LossowGeneral Otto von Lossow was a Bavarian Army and then German Army officer, who played a prominent role in the events surrounding the attempted Beer Hall Putsch by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in November 1923....
in Bavaria is relieved of command by Berlin; he refuses. - Oct 23, 1923 Communist takeover of Hamburg
- Oct 25, 1923 Hamburg uprisingHamburg UprisingThe Hamburg Uprising was an insurrection during the Weimar Republic in Germany. It was begun on October 23, 1923 by the one of the most militant sections of the Hamburg district Communist Party , the KP Wasserkante. From a military point of view, the attempt was futile and it was over within 24...
suppressed - Nov 8, 1923 Beer Hall PutschBeer Hall PutschThe Beer Hall Putsch was a failed attempt at revolution that occurred between the evening of 8 November and the early afternoon of 9 November 1923, when Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff, and other heads of the Kampfbund unsuccessfully tried to seize power...
- Nov 9, 1923 Beer Hall Putsch quelled.
1924
- Feb 26, 1924 Hitlerputsch trial begins.
- Dec 20, 1924 Hitler released from the Landsberg Prison.
1928
- Oct 20, 1928 Alfred HugenbergAlfred HugenbergAlfred Ernst Christian Alexander Hugenberg was an influential German businessman and politician. Hugenberg, a leading figure within nationalist politics in Germany for the first few decades of the twentieth century, became the country's leading media proprietor within the inter-war period...
becomes head of DNVP - March 20, 1928 NSDAP gains 2.6% of the vote in Reichstag elections.
1929
- Oct 16, 1929 Liberty Law campaign officially begins. The Nazi Party joins a coalition of conservative groups under Hugenberg's leadership to oppose the Young PlanYoung PlanThe Young Plan was a program for settlement of German reparations debts after World War I written in 1929 and formally adopted in 1930. It was presented by the committee headed by American Owen D. Young. After the Dawes Plan was put into operation , it became apparent that Germany could not meet...
. - Dec 22, 1929 The Liberty Law referendum is defeated. Hitler denounces Hugenberg's leadership parlance.
- 1929 Heinrich HimmlerHeinrich HimmlerHeinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
takes over the SSSchutzstaffelThe Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
, begins to transform it into a powerful organization
1930
- Sep 1930 Hitler at trial of 3 SA Lieutenants disavows the SA goals of replacing the army and hence appeases the army.
- Sep 14 1930 - In a milestone election, Nazis gain 6 million votes in national polling to emerge as the second largest party in Germany.
1931
- May 11, 1931 Austrian Kreditanstalt collapses
- May 1931 Four million unemployed in Germany.
- Jun 20, 1931 Herbert HooverHerbert HooverHerbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
puts moratorium on reparations. - Jul 13, 1931 German bank crisis.
- Sep 18, 1931 Geli Raubal dies
- Oct 11, 1931 Harzburg Front formed of coalition between DNVP, Stahlhelm, and Nazi Party
- 1931 Himmler recruits Reinhard HeydrichReinhard HeydrichReinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich , also known as The Hangman, was a high-ranking German Nazi official.He was SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
to form the intelligence division within the SS, the SicherheitsdienstSicherheitsdienstSicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
1932
- Apr 10, 1932 Hindenburg reelected to Reichspresident with over 40% of the vote. Hitler gains 37% and the communist candidate Thälmann gains 10.2%
- May 30, 1932 Henrich Bruening (Center) leaves office.
- Jun 1, 1932 Franz von PapenFranz von PapenLieutenant-Colonel Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen zu Köningen was a German nobleman, Roman Catholic monarchist politician, General Staff officer, and diplomat, who served as Chancellor of Germany in 1932 and as Vice-Chancellor under Adolf Hitler in 1933–1934...
cabinet - Jun 16-Jul 9 Lausanne conference
- Jul 20, 1932 "Preußenschlag": Papen dissolves Prussian government.
- Jul 31, 1932 Reichstag elections: Nazi party becomes the largest party.
- Nov 6, 1932 Reichstag elections: Nazi party loses votes.
- Nov 17, 1932 Franz von Papen leaves office
- Dec 3, 1932 ReichswehrReichswehrThe Reichswehr formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when it was renamed the Wehrmacht ....
General Kurt von SchleicherKurt von SchleicherKurt von Schleicher was a German general and the last Chancellor of Germany during the era of the Weimar Republic. Seventeen months after his resignation, he was assassinated by order of his successor, Adolf Hitler, in the Night of the Long Knives....
cabinet
1933
- Jan 28, 1933 Schleicher leaves office
- Jan 30, 1933 President HindenburgPaul von HindenburgPaul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a Prussian-German field marshal, statesman, and politician, and served as the second President of Germany from 1925 to 1934....
appoints Hitler chancellor of a Nazi-DNVP coalition. - Feb 2, 1933 Hitler meets with top military leaders, describes his plans to rearm Germany
- Feb 27, 1933 Reichstag FireReichstag fireThe Reichstag fire was an arson attack on the Reichstag building in Berlin on 27 February 1933. The event is seen as pivotal in the establishment of Nazi Germany....
occurred, widely deemed by historians as having been set by SA, at the time officially blamed on Communists - Feb 28, 1933 Law for the Protection of People and State ("Reichstag Fire DecreeReichstag Fire DecreeThe Reichstag Fire Decree is the common name of the Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State issued by German President Paul von Hindenburg in direct response to the Reichstag fire of 27 February 1933. The decree nullified many of the key civil liberties of German...
"): civil liberties suspended. GleichschaltungGleichschaltungGleichschaltung , meaning "coordination", "making the same", "bringing into line", is a Nazi term for the process by which the Nazi regime successively established a system of totalitarian control and tight coordination over all aspects of society. The historian Richard J...
("coordination"), the process of exerting totalitarian control over Germany, begins. Over the next five months, the Nazis systematically force all opposition political parties to shut down. - Mar 5, 1933 General Elections result in slim majority of Hitler's coalition, though not a majority for the Nazi Party.
- Mar 22, 1933 Dachau concentration camp opens, begins receiving political prisonerPolitical prisonerAccording to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
s - Mar 23, 1933 Enabling Act, passed with help of Catholic Center Party, effectively hands the legislative powers of the Reichstag over to the Chancellor. Act permits Chancellor and cabinet to issue laws without a vote of Parliament and to deviate from the Constitution.
- Apr 1, 1933 One day boycott of Jewish shops.
- Apr 7, 1933 Nazi governors appointed to rule the German states. End of federalism.
- Apr 26, 1933 Hermann GöringHermann GöringHermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
forms the GestapoGestapoThe Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
(secret extrajudicial police force) in the state of PrussiaPrussiaPrussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
. - May 1, 1933 Trade union offices are stormed by SA.
- May 2, 1933 Trade unions banned from Germany.
- May 6, 1933 DAF Deutsche Arbeitsfront(German Labour Front) is created.
- May 23, 1933 Hitler visits Kiel Harbor to see the fleet consisting of the Karlsruhe, Königsberg, Schlesien, Hessen, Schleswig-Holstein, Leipzig. He boards the Leipzig with leading SS and government officials including General von Blomberg, Admiral Raeder, Goering, and von Papen.
- Jul 6, 1933 At a gathering of high-ranking Nazi officials, Hitler declares the success of the National Socialist, or Nazi, revolution.
- Jul 14, 1933 Hitler proclaims the Nazi party "the only political party in Germany." All others banned.
- Jul 20, 1933 ReichskonkordatReichskonkordatThe Reichskonkordat is a treaty that was agreed between the Holy See and Nazi government, that guarantees the rights of the Catholic Church in Germany. It was signed on July 20, 1933 by Secretary of State Eugenio Pacelli and Vice Chancellor Franz von Papen on behalf of Pope Pius XI and President...
signed with Holy SeeHoly SeeThe Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
. Violations by Germany begin immediately. - Nov 9, 1933 Freikorps symbolically pledge allegiance to Hitler in a huge ceremony.
1934
- 1934 GestapoGestapoThe Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
is transferred from Goering to Himmler & Heydrich, who begin to integrate it into the SS. - Apr 11, 1934 Pact of the Deutschland: Hitler persuades the top officials of the army and navy to back his bid to succeed Hindenburg as president, by promising to "diminish" the three-million-man SA and greatly expand the regular army and navy.
- May 16, 1934 German officer corps endorses Hitler to succeed the ailing President Hindenburg.
- Jun 30, 1934 Night of the Long KnivesNight of the Long KnivesThe Night of the Long Knives , sometimes called "Operation Hummingbird " or in Germany the "Röhm-Putsch," was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany between June 30 and July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders...
or Blood Purge: On pretext of suppressing an alleged SA putsch, much of the brownshirt leadership (i.e. Ernst Roehm) is arrested and executed. Schleicher and other political enemies murdered. Papen briefly imprisoned. Hundreds killed. The SS, formerly part of the SA, now comes to the forefront. - Jul 13, 1934 Defending the purge, Hitler declares that to defend Germany he has the right to act unilaterally as "supreme judge" without resort to courts.
- Aug 2, 1934 President Hindenburg dies. Hitler issues a decree appropriating to himself the powers of the President, including supreme military command. The decree is illegal but goes unchallenged.
- Aug 3, 1934 Army swear oath to Hitler.
- Aug 19, 1934 The German people in a plebliscite overwhelmingly (90%) approve merger of the offices of President and Chancellor. Hitler assumes the new title of Führer und Reichskanzler (leader and chancellor).
- Sep 5, 1934 In Nuremberg, Alex Izso proclaims the advent of a Thousand Year Reich.