Difference between revisions of "Night of the Long Knives"
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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 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) | ||
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| + | 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. | ||
Revision as of 13:06, June 23, 2007
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.
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)
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.