Gleichschaltung, 1933-34

Otherwise known as Nazification, the Gleichschaltung was the process of Nazi consolidation of power between 1933 and 1934. Beginning on 7 April 1933, through the issuance of the Act for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service, the Nazis legalised the removal of non-Aryan descendents in the civil service. This also affected judges who did not share the same views as the Nazis. By April 1934, the People's Court was created which replaced the Supreme Court.

The Nazification of the German state and society abolished the sense of democracy created by the Weimar Republic. The system was replaced by totalitarian control, suppression, intimidation, elimination and propaganda.

(left) Hitler and (right) Hindenburg in Potsdam

The policies employed by Hitler and the Nazis covered German politics, economy, foreign affairs and culture

---

Brief timeline to the Nazi totalitarian state, 1930-1934

1930 General Election

• From 14 representatives in parliament, the Nazis became the second-largest party with 107 members. Hitler became its leader. However, he was defeated by Paul von Hindenburg for the presidency the following year. 1933 Chancellorship

• Hitler stood in another election against Hindenburg. By 1933, he was appointed as chancellor of Germany. At the same time, the Nazis held a third of the seats in the Reichstag. 1933 February

• Reichstag Fire 1933 March

• General Election

• First Gleichschaltung Law which dissolved the diets of all Länder except the Prussian parliament 1933 April

• Second Gleichschaltung Law which deployed Reich governors who acted as local proconsuls

• Law for the Restoration of a Professional Civil Service 1933 July

• Law Against the Founding of New Parties 1934 January

• Law Concerning the Reconstruction of the Reich Passed on 30 January, this law formally abolished the German federal republic and converted it into a centralised state. It made the states into provinces. By 14 February, the Reichsrat was abolished.

---

THE REICHSTAG FIRE

On 27 February 1933, the Reichstag building in Berlin was set on fire. Hitler, who had been sworn in as chancellor of Germany four weeks before the arson, and his government pointed to the Dutch council communist, Marinus van der Lubbe, as the main culprit. Van der Lubbe admitted to arson and was sentenced to death. Other suspects were released due to lack of evidence. Many historians believed that the fire was a Nazi plot and that van der Lubbe served as their pawn.

In addition to van der Lubbe, three Bulgarians were arrested: Georgi Dimitrov, Vasil Tanev and Blagoy Popov. Communist Party leader Ernst Torgler was also accused of conspiracy. The following day, Hitler urged President Hindenburg to issue a decree which suspended civilian liberties, particularly leaders and members of the Communist Party.

Image of the Reichstag building on fire

---

4,000 people were arrested by the SA.

81 Communist deputies who were elected by the German people were detained after the fire incident.

On 5 March, the Nazis won 288 seats in the Reichstag, but it was still insufficient to form the majority. Hitler then joined with the nationalists to dominate the house.

Days prior to the fire, the headquarters of the Communist Party in Berlin was raided and they were accused of hiding seditious materials, including documents of an armed revolution.

Marinus van der Lubbe, a Dutch council communist

Ernst Torgler, chairman of the Communist Party of Germany

---

THE ENABLING ACT

While all Communist deputies had been arrested and other non-Nazi political parties were intimidated by Hitler's SA, the Enabling Act was passed by a two-thirds margin.

Passage of the Enabling Act

The Enabling Act granted Hitler the following:

• It gave Hitler and his Cabinet absolute power to enact laws without both the Reichstag and Reichsrat legislative bodies.
• He ruled by decree, setting aside the Weimar Constitution.
• He used Christianity to assure Germans that the Nazi government would not interfere with religious life. Among his critics were members of the Centre Party, a Catholic-sponsored party in the Reichstag.
• While negotiating a concordat with the Catholic Church, Hitler stressed that he only wanted to eliminate political Catholicism but not its religious role. On 23 March 1933, the entrance of the Kroll Opera House was lined with SS and SA men to ensure the passage of the bill through intimidation. The Enabling Act was passed with 444 votes to 94 for the Social Democrats.

---

Hitler with Catholic dignitaries in the 1930s

Hitler personally negotiated with the Centre Party leaders to support the passage of this act, ensuring that their rights, functions and freedom would be left in peace.

Law to Remedy the Distress of the People and the Reich

Artikel 3 (in German)

Die von der Reichsregierung beschlossenen Reichsgesetze werden vom Reichskanzler ausgefertigt und im Reichsgesetzblatt verkündet. Sie treten, soweit sie nichts anderes bestimmen, mit dem auf die Verkündung folgenden Tage in Kraft. Die Artikel 68 bis 77 der Reichsverfassung finden auf die von der Reichsregierung beschlossenen Gesetze keine Anwendung.

Article 3 (in English)

Laws enacted by the Reich government shall be issued by the Chancellor and announced in the Reich Gazette. They shall take effect on the day following the announcement, unless they prescribe a different date. Articles 68 to 77 of the Constitution do not apply to laws enacted by the Reich government

---

On 5 March 1933, Hitler called for the Reichstag general election. Not as expected, the Nazis won only 43.9% of the vote, which was still short of a majority. The SA began to storm headquarters and attack non-Nazi party officials in Königsberg, Wuppertal, Cologne, Braunschweig and Chemnitz. On 23 March 1933, the newly elected Reichstag met. However, due to the earlier passage of the Enabling Act, delegates from the Communist Party did not attend. To further ensure success, Goering, Hitler's Minister of Interior, removed senior police officers and replaced them with Nazi people, which later became known as the Gestapo. The recruited members of the Sturmabteilung, commonly known as the SA, reached 50,000 members.

Moreover, Goering led the arrest of KPD leaders in Berlin with accusations of overthrowing the government. As a result, KPD candidates were also arrested. The SA intimidated election meetings of the left-wing. In addition, some candidates were assassinated.

Political parties in the Reichstag, 1933

---

TRADE UNIONS AND POLITICAL PARTIES

On 5 July 1919, the General German Trade Union Federation or Allgemeiner Deutsche Gewerkschaftsbund (ADGB) was founded. The confederation founded in Nuremberg was an amalgamation of 52 German trade unions. Such unions were responsible for organising general counter strikes. Initially, free trade unions were supporters of the socialist labour movement. They had the largest number of members compared to Christian and liberal unions. By the time the Nazis seized power, trade unions claimed political neutrality. Before the Nazi storming of the trade union headquarters, Hilter called for a National Labour Day, also called May Day.

In March 1933, two days after May Day, trade unions were banned. Union leaders were sent to prison, their money was confiscated, and the right to strike was abolished. In order to avoid resistance from the working class, the German Labour Front became the only existing union. Three weeks after the creation of the DAF, labour trustees were appointed.

The abolition of trade unions in 1933 was supported by German business leaders and conservative politicians. They believed that giving so much power to the workers may ignite a socialist revolution.

---

On 14 July 1933, political parties were banned. Hitler and the Nazis began to create a single-party state. Following the passage of the Enabling Act, Hilter removed political oppositions one by one. Under the Gleichschaltung or coordination, the Law Against the Founding of New Parties and Law Concerning the Reconstruction of the Reich were passed. Aside from making the NSDAP the only legal political party in Germany, the federal republic was also turned into a centralised state. Under the law, founding of a new political party was punishable by up to three years imprisonment.

"The National Socialist German Workers Party constitutes the only political party in Germany."

Adolf Hitler at a rally, 1933

---

NIGHT OF THE LONG KNIVES

Despite Röhm's connection to the Nazis and Hitler, he believed in socialism. In February 1934, Röhm insisted that the SA be incorporated into the German Army, which was met by a strong reaction from senior army leaders. In order to keep the loyalty of senior army leaders, Hitler rejected Röhm's idea and reduced the power of the SA while increasing Himmler's SS.

Ernst Röhm (right) and Himmler (left)

Ernst Röhm (right) and Hitler (left)

Röhm gained enemies in the form of Hermann Goering, Joseph Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler and Reinhard Heydrich. They convinced Hitler that the former SA leader was a threat and was planning a coup.

---

Beginning on the night of 30 June 1934, Hitler ordered his military to purge all Nazi political opponents and right-wing extremist party supporters. The event became known as the Night of the Long Knives.

In addition to eliminating left-wing parties such as the Social Democrats and the Communists, Hitler also made sure to annihilate the party's paramilitary wing, the SA under the leadership of Röhm.

Along with Röhm, hundreds of SA leaders were arrested and accused of plotting treason. The next day, Röhm and von Schleicher (former chancellor) were shot along with over 200 SA.

David Low cartoon illustrating the Night of the Long Knives, 1934

As a result, Hitler gained the trust and support of the German Army. Furthermore, it enhanced the power of Himmler and his SS.

---