Adolf Hitler | The Consolidation of Power in 1934

On January 26, 1934, Germany and Poland signed the German–Polish Non-Aggression Pact. It remained in effect until Germany invaded Poland in 1939. The alliance was diplomatic, not ideological. Poland lay between Germany and the USSR. Poland, an ally of France, signed without France’s knowledge. They feared German aggression over disputed territories, such as Danzig and the Polish Corridor. Poland had signed a similar agreement with the USSR in 1932, which was renewed in 1934. By having agreements with both Germany and the USSR, Poland hoped to maintain neutrality and preserve independence. Hitler needed to appear nonaggressive and to create a wedge between Poland and both France and the USSR.

Ernst Röhm, the head of the SA (Brownshirts) since the early 1930s, wanted to merge the SA with the traditional German military (Reichswehr). He would make a “people’s army,” and simultaneously gain enormous power and influence. By early 1934, Röhm was heavily pushing for the merger. This alarmed Hitler. He needed the army’s support to solidify his rule, and the army leadership saw Röhm’s plans as a direct threat. Himmler, head of the SS, Hitler’s personal bodyguard unit, agreed that Röhm had to be stopped. So between June 30 and July 2, 1934, Hitler, aided by the SS, eliminated the threat through arrests and executions. The Night of the Long Knives reassured the German Army that all was well.

On July 25, 1934, the Austrian Nazis stormed the Chancellery in Vienna and shot the Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss. The coup failed to install a pro-Nazi government because neither the Austrian military nor the police supported it. Mussolini, who had an alliance with Austria, mobilized troops to the Austrian border. Hitler distanced himself from the coup and denied involvement, even though Germany had supported the coup.

On August 1, a law passed by the powerless Reichstag merged the offices of President and Chancellor into one role upon Hindenburg’s death. Hindenburg, who had been ill, died on August 2, 1934. Adolf Hitler was now Führer und Reichskanzler (Leader and Reich Chancellor).