The Nazi consolidation of power between January 1933 and
August 1934 was achieved through the use of terror.' How far
do you agree?
I agree with the statement that the consolidation of power was
largely fulfilled through the use of terror, as it helped the party to
push through laws which increased their power, as well as aiding in
eliminating opposition. However, whilst it can be argued it is the
most significant factor in consolidating power there are other
elements to consider, such as the impact of government and
administrative, propaganda and eliminating opposition.
Terror was a vital factor in Hitler’s consolidation of power as it
allowed him to eliminate opposition and gain support. One way in
which terror was utilised was to attack political opponents, with
Hitler utilising the SA. Just as the SA had played a large role in his
rise to power, they also helped him consolidate it once he was
appointed to Chancellor. They were expanded from approximately
500,000 members to nearly 3 million a year later, only continuing
their rampage of violence in order to wipe out opposition. As they
gained legal authority police had little power to stop acts of terror
and violence, leaving them able to terrorise socialist and
communist supporters, as well as trade unions and disrupt KPD
and SPD meetings. Even when an SPD mayor was shot, police
ignored the crimes, illustrating the extent to which they had
complete freedom to enact total terror on anyone. After the first
concentration camp was set up in March of 1933 in Dachau the SA
arrested nearly 27,000 political prisoners by July of that year, who
were imprisoned across 70 camps. Political opposition were so
frequently attacked and silenced, as their newspapers were
banned, that there was little opportunity to criticise and oppose
Hitler, allowing him to consolidate his power and begin to form a
one party state.
This violence was often uncoordinated and sometimes out of
control, ultimately leading to another act of terror to put it down -
the Night of the Long Knives. After the summer of 1933 there was
only one party left, and so the need to intimidate and remove
opposition was now redundant. The SA became restless as they
had little to do and became somewhat of an embarrassment with
frequent drunken brawls and beginning to target police when they
August 1934 was achieved through the use of terror.' How far
do you agree?
I agree with the statement that the consolidation of power was
largely fulfilled through the use of terror, as it helped the party to
push through laws which increased their power, as well as aiding in
eliminating opposition. However, whilst it can be argued it is the
most significant factor in consolidating power there are other
elements to consider, such as the impact of government and
administrative, propaganda and eliminating opposition.
Terror was a vital factor in Hitler’s consolidation of power as it
allowed him to eliminate opposition and gain support. One way in
which terror was utilised was to attack political opponents, with
Hitler utilising the SA. Just as the SA had played a large role in his
rise to power, they also helped him consolidate it once he was
appointed to Chancellor. They were expanded from approximately
500,000 members to nearly 3 million a year later, only continuing
their rampage of violence in order to wipe out opposition. As they
gained legal authority police had little power to stop acts of terror
and violence, leaving them able to terrorise socialist and
communist supporters, as well as trade unions and disrupt KPD
and SPD meetings. Even when an SPD mayor was shot, police
ignored the crimes, illustrating the extent to which they had
complete freedom to enact total terror on anyone. After the first
concentration camp was set up in March of 1933 in Dachau the SA
arrested nearly 27,000 political prisoners by July of that year, who
were imprisoned across 70 camps. Political opposition were so
frequently attacked and silenced, as their newspapers were
banned, that there was little opportunity to criticise and oppose
Hitler, allowing him to consolidate his power and begin to form a
one party state.
This violence was often uncoordinated and sometimes out of
control, ultimately leading to another act of terror to put it down -
the Night of the Long Knives. After the summer of 1933 there was
only one party left, and so the need to intimidate and remove
opposition was now redundant. The SA became restless as they
had little to do and became somewhat of an embarrassment with
frequent drunken brawls and beginning to target police when they
