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The Night of the Long Knives which is also known as "[[Operation Hummingbird]]" was a purge that the fascists in Hitler's Germany carried out to eliminate those they considered their opponents.

The '''Night of the Long Knives''' (also known as "[[Operation Hummingbird]]") was a purge purge of [[Adolf Hitler]]'s potential political rivals over the weekend of June 29 and June 30, 1934.

Those eliminated in the purge were felt to represent a "socialist cabal" who could have been a [[Fifth Column]] in the [[fascist]] state. Among those killed was Hitler's former close ally Ernst Rohm, leader of the [[Brownshirts]] (Sturmabteilung, or SA)

Those eliminated in the purge were felt to hold more [[socialism|socialistic]] views on the economy and some were alleged to be homosexuals. Among those killed was Hitler's former close ally Ernst Röhm, leader of the [[Brownshirts]] (Sturmabteilung, or SA).

The term is now often used to describe any ruthless purging of enemies, with or without bloodshed, as in the preremptory sacking of seven cabinet ministers by British Prime Minister [[Harold Macmillan]] in July 1962.

The term is now often used to describe any ruthless purging of enemies, with or without bloodshed, as in the peremptory sacking of seven cabinet ministers by British Prime Minister [[Harold Macmillan]] in July 1962.