Changes

Still believing in Hitler's cause, the SA reorganized by 1925.  In particular, they gained the uniforms that led to their moniker of brownshirts, a choice decided upon by Hitler due to realizing that the German man were fond of uniforms; and he created a separate unit called the [[SS]] within the party that would act as his personal guard.<ref>http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/new.htm</ref> Ironically, however, the reorganized SA ended up nearly causing the Nazi Party to be disbanded again for between 1926 and 1927, after they beat up an old pastor for heckling them.<ref>http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/quiet.htm</ref> After their victory on September 14, 1930, and then formally taking 107 seats in the Reichstag, the SA, while wearing civilian clothing, proceeded to celebrate by smashing the windows of various Jewish owned shops, department stores, and restaurants, an action that would eventually be repeated on a larger scale in "Krystallnacht", several years later. However, the SA desire to become a revolutionary army, and frequently conducting attacks despite Hitler's insistence that they lay low, often embarrassed him, which ultimately resulted to a minor coup at the Berlin Nazi Party offices led by SA Captain Walter Stennes being put down by the SS on Hitler's orders.<ref>http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/success.htm</ref> In 1931, they were led by a radical who had grandiose dreams of his own: [[Ernst Röhm]], who had been nominated to replace Stennes for command of the SA.  An anti-capitalist who believed in a permanent, continuing revolution<ref>Shirer, William L. ''Rise and Fall of the Third Reich''. "The Nazification of Germany: 1933-34; 'No Second Revolution'"<br />''"A tremendous victory has been won. But not an absolute victory! The SA and the SS will not tolerate the German revolution going to sleep and being betrayed at the half-way stage by non-combatants. Not for the sake of the SA and SS but for Germany's sake. For the SA is the last armed force of the nation, the last defense against communism. If the German revolution is wrecked by the reactionary opposition, incompetence, or laziness, the German people will fall into despair and will be an easy prey for the bloodstained frenzy coming from the depths of Asia. If these bourgeois simpletons think that the national revolution has already lasted too long, for once we agree with them. It is in fact high time the national revolution stopped and became the National Socialist one. Whether they like it or not, we will continue our struggle - if they understand at last what it is about - with them; if they are unwilling - without them; and if necessary - against them."''[http://spartacus-educational.com/GERroehm.htm]</ref> (in a manner similar to what [[Leon Trotsky]] advocated), Röhm would use the SA to propel Hitler to the chancellery as well as increase the size of the organization to such an extent that it would threaten to replace the much smaller 100,000 man army as Germany's main fighting force, with himself at its head.  To that extent the charismatic Röhm swelled the SA from approximately 200,000 in 1931 to close to 2 million men by 1933.  His homosexual nature and stature within the SA also was the subject of scandal for Hitler and the Nazis during the 1932 election when the Social Democrats leaked letters between Röhm and a male doctor regarding their tastes in men to the general public.<ref>http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/runs.htm</ref> Eventually, the SA, alongside the SS, were banned by [[Heinrich Bruening]] via Article 48 on April 1932, with the SA being outraged over this, although Hitler allowed it to be done, knowing full well that it was only a temporary setback, which was ultimately proven when Schleicher after secretly meeting with Hitler on May 8, 1932 proceeded to lift the ban and also have the Reichstag dissolved and have new elections in exchange for Hitler's support for a conservative, nationalistic government. The ban was fully lifted by June 15. They later proceeded to arrive at Berlin emmasse in August in anticipation of Hitler's ascension into power. However, Hindenburg ultimately refused to allow Hitler into power, largely because of the SA's behavior, with Papen and Schleicher offering vice chancellor as compensation on August 13. This resulted in Hitler threatening to have the SA engage in violent mayhem for three days across Germany, which resulted in him being brought before Hindenburg and told off by the president in person. Hitler was ultimately forced to put the SA into furlough for two weeks. In addition, the Nazis were losing seats by November 6 of that year, with the SA's behavior being one of the main reasons for it (alongside Hitler and Hindenberg refusing to compromise, people growing tired of various new elections for the Reichstag seats occurring continuously, and the Communists' destructive behavior also turning the populace against them).<ref>http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/collapse.htm</ref>

Still believing in Hitler's cause, the SA reorganized by 1925.  In particular, they gained the uniforms that led to their moniker of brownshirts, a choice decided upon by Hitler due to realizing that the German man were fond of uniforms; and he created a separate unit called the [[SS]] within the party that would act as his personal guard.<ref>http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/new.htm</ref> Ironically, however, the reorganized SA ended up nearly causing the Nazi Party to be disbanded again for between 1926 and 1927, after they beat up an old pastor for heckling them.<ref>http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/quiet.htm</ref> After their victory on September 14, 1930, and then formally taking 107 seats in the Reichstag, the SA, while wearing civilian clothing, proceeded to celebrate by smashing the windows of various Jewish owned shops, department stores, and restaurants, an action that would eventually be repeated on a larger scale in "Krystallnacht", several years later. However, the SA desire to become a revolutionary army, and frequently conducting attacks despite Hitler's insistence that they lay low, often embarrassed him, which ultimately resulted to a minor coup at the Berlin Nazi Party offices led by SA Captain Walter Stennes being put down by the SS on Hitler's orders.<ref>http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/success.htm</ref> In 1931, they were led by a radical who had grandiose dreams of his own: [[Ernst Röhm]], who had been nominated to replace Stennes for command of the SA.  An anti-capitalist who believed in a permanent, continuing revolution<ref>Shirer, William L. ''Rise and Fall of the Third Reich''. "The Nazification of Germany: 1933-34; 'No Second Revolution'"<br />''"A tremendous victory has been won. But not an absolute victory! The SA and the SS will not tolerate the German revolution going to sleep and being betrayed at the half-way stage by non-combatants. Not for the sake of the SA and SS but for Germany's sake. For the SA is the last armed force of the nation, the last defense against communism. If the German revolution is wrecked by the reactionary opposition, incompetence, or laziness, the German people will fall into despair and will be an easy prey for the bloodstained frenzy coming from the depths of Asia. If these bourgeois simpletons think that the national revolution has already lasted too long, for once we agree with them. It is in fact high time the national revolution stopped and became the National Socialist one. Whether they like it or not, we will continue our struggle - if they understand at last what it is about - with them; if they are unwilling - without them; and if necessary - against them."''[http://spartacus-educational.com/GERroehm.htm]</ref> (in a manner similar to what [[Leon Trotsky]] advocated), Röhm would use the SA to propel Hitler to the chancellery as well as increase the size of the organization to such an extent that it would threaten to replace the much smaller 100,000 man army as Germany's main fighting force, with himself at its head.  To that extent the charismatic Röhm swelled the SA from approximately 200,000 in 1931 to close to 2 million men by 1933.  His homosexual nature and stature within the SA also was the subject of scandal for Hitler and the Nazis during the 1932 election when the Social Democrats leaked letters between Röhm and a male doctor regarding their tastes in men to the general public.<ref>http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/runs.htm</ref> Eventually, the SA, alongside the SS, were banned by [[Heinrich Bruening]] via Article 48 on April 1932, with the SA being outraged over this, although Hitler allowed it to be done, knowing full well that it was only a temporary setback, which was ultimately proven when Schleicher after secretly meeting with Hitler on May 8, 1932 proceeded to lift the ban and also have the Reichstag dissolved and have new elections in exchange for Hitler's support for a conservative, nationalistic government. The ban was fully lifted by June 15. They later proceeded to arrive at Berlin emmasse in August in anticipation of Hitler's ascension into power. However, Hindenburg ultimately refused to allow Hitler into power, largely because of the SA's behavior, with Papen and Schleicher offering vice chancellor as compensation on August 13. This resulted in Hitler threatening to have the SA engage in violent mayhem for three days across Germany, which resulted in him being brought before Hindenburg and told off by the president in person. Hitler was ultimately forced to put the SA into furlough for two weeks. In addition, the Nazis were losing seats by November 6 of that year, with the SA's behavior being one of the main reasons for it (alongside Hitler and Hindenberg refusing to compromise, people growing tired of various new elections for the Reichstag seats occurring continuously, and the Communists' destructive behavior also turning the populace against them).<ref>http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/collapse.htm</ref>

Ultimately, Hitler ended up winning the chancery elections, and on January 30, 1933, the SA, alongside the SS, turned out in full uniform to celebrate his election victory, and also awaited for him to make an appearance alongside crowds of men, women and children with Nazi banners.<ref>http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/named.htm</ref>

Ultimately, Hitler's party ended up winning the parliamentary elections, and on January 30, 1933, the SA, alongside the SS, turned out in full uniform to celebrate his election victory, and also awaited for him to make an appearance alongside crowds of men, women and children with Nazi banners.<ref>http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/named.htm</ref>

To consolidate power, Hitler needed the backing of two groups considered fundamental to Germany's well-being: the big-business industrialists - such as I.G. Farben and Krupp - and the army.  Both eyed the SA as an uncontrolled mob, and Röhm as a power-seeker and wanting control over the army; indeed, evidence that he was an avid homosexual only added fuel to the fire,<ref name="Hitler: A Biography" /> although Hitler assured them that he had no plans to replace the army with the SA.<ref name="The Reichstag Burns">http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/burns.htm</ref> In addition, in order to ensure Nazi control was consolidated within the government, [[Hermann Göring]], by that time the Minister of the Interior of Prussia, had hundreds of police officers who had been loyal to the Weimar Republic replaced with Nazi officials loyal only to Hitler, and also gave strict orders that the police not interfere with the SA, or the SS, under any circumstance, thus ensuring the SA could get away with beating up, harassing, and even murdering anyone with impunity.<ref name="The Reichstag Burns" /> On February 22, the SA, through Göring, managed to gain the power of the police force by setting up an auxillary arm of the police force that allowed for 50,000 men strong. On February 24, the SA raided the Communist headquarters in Berlin, and then, via the list of members of the Communist party, proceeded to list all 4,000 members of the German communists, with Göring falsely claiming that they uncovered a Communist plot to have the excuse to do so. On February 27, members of the SA led by Karl Ernst proceeded to commit arson on the Reichstag, with Marinus van der Lubbe, a Communist arsonist who sought to instigate a revolution via arson, to also aid in the fire. After the resulting Reichstag Fire Decree was passed, the SA alongside the SS proceeded to raid known Communist hideouts and even private homes via trucks and then abduct them with the excuse of putting them under "protective custody, where many of them ended up beaten and tortured at the various SA barracks. Eventually, on March 5, after the elections, armed SA and SS members proceeded to raid the Reichstag to throw out legitimate office holders to replace them with Nazi Reich commissioners, using the aforementioned Reichstag Fire Decree as their justification. They then placed several political enemies in "wild" concentration camps, hastily constructed that were stockades with little more than barbed wire, and run by SA leaders. On May, there were flooded applications for them, with some going for the SA and SS after Hitler put a hiring freeze. 50,000 of the SS men were later thrown out by [[Heinrich Himmler]], with the older members cynically calling them "March Violets."<ref name="The Reichstag Burns" /><ref>http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/triumph/tr-dachau.htm</ref><ref>http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/dictator.htm</ref>

To consolidate power, Hitler needed the backing of two groups considered fundamental to Germany's well-being: the big-business industrialists - such as I.G. Farben and Krupp - and the army.  Both eyed the SA as an uncontrolled mob, and Röhm as a power-seeker and wanting control over the army; indeed, evidence that he was an avid homosexual only added fuel to the fire,<ref name="Hitler: A Biography" /> although Hitler assured them that he had no plans to replace the army with the SA.<ref name="The Reichstag Burns">http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/burns.htm</ref> In addition, in order to ensure Nazi control was consolidated within the government, [[Hermann Göring]], by that time the Minister of the Interior of Prussia, had hundreds of police officers who had been loyal to the Weimar Republic replaced with Nazi officials loyal only to Hitler, and also gave strict orders that the police not interfere with the SA, or the SS, under any circumstance, thus ensuring the SA could get away with beating up, harassing, and even murdering anyone with impunity.<ref name="The Reichstag Burns" /> On February 22, the SA, through Göring, managed to gain the power of the police force by setting up an auxillary arm of the police force that allowed for 50,000 men strong. On February 24, the SA raided the Communist headquarters in Berlin, and then, via the list of members of the Communist party, proceeded to list all 4,000 members of the German communists, with Göring falsely claiming that they uncovered a Communist plot to have the excuse to do so. On February 27, members of the SA led by Karl Ernst proceeded to commit arson on the Reichstag, with Marinus van der Lubbe, a Communist arsonist who sought to instigate a revolution via arson, to also aid in the fire. After the resulting Reichstag Fire Decree was passed, the SA alongside the SS proceeded to raid known Communist hideouts and even private homes via trucks and then abduct them with the excuse of putting them under "protective custody, where many of them ended up beaten and tortured at the various SA barracks. Eventually, on March 5, after the elections, armed SA and SS members proceeded to raid the Reichstag to throw out legitimate office holders to replace them with Nazi Reich commissioners, using the aforementioned Reichstag Fire Decree as their justification. They then placed several political enemies in "wild" concentration camps, hastily constructed that were stockades with little more than barbed wire, and run by SA leaders. On May, there were flooded applications for them, with some going for the SA and SS after Hitler put a hiring freeze. 50,000 of the SS men were later thrown out by [[Heinrich Himmler]], with the older members cynically calling them "March Violets."<ref name="The Reichstag Burns" /><ref>http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/triumph/tr-dachau.htm</ref><ref>http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/dictator.htm</ref>