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5. The ‘Röhm Purge’ and the Myth of the Homosexual Nazi

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Stormtroopers
This chapter is in the book Stormtroopers
5THE ‘RÖHM PURGE’ AND THE MYTH OF THE HOMOSEXUAL NAZIIt is possible and seems likely that the masses of the petite bourgeoisie fall again into a morality tailored for them on the basis of a dirty psychology; and that they see Hitler as the saviour once more.— Thomas Mann, journal entry, 4 July 19341Although the first wave of Nazi violence against real and imagined opponents of the dictatorship lessened toward the end of 1933, the early months of 1934 saw increasing tensions in Germany. This growing conflict was largely internal and pitted those who insisted on completing the ‘revolution’ by pushing for a fundamental transformation of German society in line with National Socialist ideology against those who favoured compromise with traditional elitist groups in order to further consolidate the NSDAP’s newly acquired position of power. These two positions, commonly associated with Röhm on the one side and Hitler, Göring, and Himmler on the other, were not only about ideological differences but also fundamental discrepancies in life experience and social status. This chapter will first trace the lines of this important conflict and re- examine the polit-ical ambitions of the SA in the first half of 1934. It will then analyse the events that unfolded between 30 June and 2 July in some detail and discuss their immediate political consequences. Finally, it will put the ‘Night of the Long Knives’ into the wider context of the legal and political development of the Third Reich, touching as well on the origin of the cliché of the homosexual stormtrooper.2157
© Yale University Press, New Haven

5THE ‘RÖHM PURGE’ AND THE MYTH OF THE HOMOSEXUAL NAZIIt is possible and seems likely that the masses of the petite bourgeoisie fall again into a morality tailored for them on the basis of a dirty psychology; and that they see Hitler as the saviour once more.— Thomas Mann, journal entry, 4 July 19341Although the first wave of Nazi violence against real and imagined opponents of the dictatorship lessened toward the end of 1933, the early months of 1934 saw increasing tensions in Germany. This growing conflict was largely internal and pitted those who insisted on completing the ‘revolution’ by pushing for a fundamental transformation of German society in line with National Socialist ideology against those who favoured compromise with traditional elitist groups in order to further consolidate the NSDAP’s newly acquired position of power. These two positions, commonly associated with Röhm on the one side and Hitler, Göring, and Himmler on the other, were not only about ideological differences but also fundamental discrepancies in life experience and social status. This chapter will first trace the lines of this important conflict and re- examine the polit-ical ambitions of the SA in the first half of 1934. It will then analyse the events that unfolded between 30 June and 2 July in some detail and discuss their immediate political consequences. Finally, it will put the ‘Night of the Long Knives’ into the wider context of the legal and political development of the Third Reich, touching as well on the origin of the cliché of the homosexual stormtrooper.2157
© Yale University Press, New Haven

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. CONTENTS vii
  3. List of Plates ix
  4. Acknowledgements xi
  5. Introduction: A Night of Violence xiv
  6. PART I
  7. 1. Turmoil in Post- War Germany and the Origins of the Nazi SA 1
  8. 2. Stormtrooper Street Politics: Mobilization in Times of Crisis 32
  9. 3. The Brown Cult of Youth and Violence in the Weimar Republic 75
  10. PART II
  11. 4. Terror, Excitement, and Frustration 117
  12. 5. The ‘Röhm Purge’ and the Myth of the Homosexual Nazi 157
  13. PART III
  14. 6. The Transformation of the SA between 1934 and 1939 183
  15. 7. Streetfighters into Farmers? The Brownshirts and the ‘Germanization’ of the European East 217
  16. 8. Stormtroopers in the Second World War 237
  17. 9. SA Diplomats and the Holocaust in Southeastern Europe 280
  18. PART IV
  19. 10. ‘Not Guilty’: The Legacy of the SA in Germany after the Second World War 307
  20. Conclusion: Stormtroopers and National Socialism 329
  21. Notes 339
  22. Index 446
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https://doi.org/10.12987/9780300231250-008

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. CONTENTS vii
  3. List of Plates ix
  4. Acknowledgements xi
  5. Introduction: A Night of Violence xiv
  6. PART I
  7. 1. Turmoil in Post- War Germany and the Origins of the Nazi SA 1
  8. 2. Stormtrooper Street Politics: Mobilization in Times of Crisis 32
  9. 3. The Brown Cult of Youth and Violence in the Weimar Republic 75
  10. PART II
  11. 4. Terror, Excitement, and Frustration 117
  12. 5. The ‘Röhm Purge’ and the Myth of the Homosexual Nazi 157
  13. PART III
  14. 6. The Transformation of the SA between 1934 and 1939 183
  15. 7. Streetfighters into Farmers? The Brownshirts and the ‘Germanization’ of the European East 217
  16. 8. Stormtroopers in the Second World War 237
  17. 9. SA Diplomats and the Holocaust in Southeastern Europe 280
  18. PART IV
  19. 10. ‘Not Guilty’: The Legacy of the SA in Germany after the Second World War 307
  20. Conclusion: Stormtroopers and National Socialism 329
  21. Notes 339
  22. Index 446
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