[Video] Today in History: The Night of the Long Knives – June 30, 1934

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June 30, 1934 – The Night of the Long Knive

On this day in 1934, Adolf Hitler unleashed a brutal purge that would cement his grip on power—an event known as the Night of the Long Knives.

Over just a few days, Hitler ordered his SS to arrest and execute dozens of leaders of the SA, the Nazi Party’s original paramilitary wing. Among those killed was Ernst Röhm, head of the SA and once one of Hitler’s closest allies. Röhm had grown too powerful, and his push for a “second revolution” threatened Germany’s conservative military and political elite.

By eliminating Röhm and the SA leadership, Hitler reassured the German army, which had grown wary of the SA’s growing influence. He also won the support of industrialists and right-wing politicians who feared the SA’s radicalism. The purge extended beyond the SA—journalists, political opponents, and even former friends were murdered without trial.

The Night of the Long Knives showed the world that Hitler would stop at nothing to maintain control. It marked the transformation of his dictatorship from political terror to outright tyranny—backed not by rhetoric, but by blood. Within weeks, Hitler was hailed by many in Germany as the savior of order.