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In late 1933,
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Chancellor Adolf Hitler is one step
away from total power.
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Only Germany's elderly president,
Paul von Hindenburg,
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stands in his way -
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the one man with the power to sack a
Chancellor -
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so it's vital for Hitler to keep
him onside.
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Believe it or not,
Hitler can be charming...
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..and he exercised this charm on
Hindenburg,
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I think, to probably quite good
effect.
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Von Hindenburg, he, perhaps against
his better judgment,
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becomes a little impressed by
Hitler.
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This is the story of how Hitler went
from Chancellor
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to all-powerful dictator.
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To piece together how it happened,
historians and experts have examined
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this period - each from a different
individual perspective.
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You cajole, you influence,
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you manipulate.
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They'll take us inside the minds of
those that fought fascism...
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They realised that these people are
after your heads.
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They want to annihilate you from
existence altogether.
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..and the Nazis themselves.
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Himmler genuinely believed that he
would create a racially pure
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Germany, where the Aryan race would
reign supreme.
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The moments when history hung in the
balance
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and the world's worst atrocities
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could have been prevented.
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Mass murder was no problem...
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GUNSHOTS AND SCREAMS
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..but it was important to be
socially acceptable.
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Do people care about the truth?
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Adolf Hitler will go on to oversee
the murder of millions of people.
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But, in 1933,
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he is the outwardly respectable
Chancellor of Germany,
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the equivalent of Prime Minister.
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But, just under a year into the job,
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he's finding being in government a
difficult balancing act.
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He has two very different audiences
to please...
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..the aristocratic elite,
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the president,
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the generals
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and his Vice Chancellor.
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They're uneasy about the Nazis,
seeing them as thuggish
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and worrying they could destabilise
the whole system.
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On the other hand,
Hitler has his base,
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the Stormtroopers, the paramilitary
wing of the Nazis.
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Over two million angry young men.
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They're waiting for Hitler
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to deliver the Nazi revolution he
promised.
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None more so than the leader of the
Stormtroopers.
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For Rohm, the aim was a revolution
in Germany
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to change the political system.
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Ernst Rohm was a trained officer.
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He was military and ruthless.
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Rohm is an adventurer.
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He is not really a politician.
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Hitler owes Rohm a lot and he knows
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that Rohm is one of his oldest
comrades.
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Hitler promised Rohm that they would
get rid of the old elites,
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that they would get rid of the rich
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and they would change the whole
system.
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Hitler couldn't hold his promises.
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Unleashing violence against their
left wing enemies,
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Rohm's Stormtroopers have been
useful to Hitler -
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but now they could become a threat.
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Their violent attacks are upsetting
the public.
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As Chancellor, Hitler wants things
to appear calm.
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Rohm's actions pose a problem for
Hitler because Hitler
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needed to persuade the elites.
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He needed to persuade the
conservative establishment.
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He needed to persuade Hindenburg
that he was to be trusted,
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that he was a solid bourgeois
statesman.
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Hitler got increasingly concerned
about Rohm's discontent,
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as it were, and about his whole kind
of persona as a rough,
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soldierly, violent type.
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But Hitler needs to placate Rohm
and,
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in a move that risks upsetting the
aristocratic elites,
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he brings the revolutionary Rohm
into the political fold,
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giving him a job in the cabinet.
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He's minister without portfolio.
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But Rohm isn't satisfied.
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He feels he and his millions of
Stormtroopers were promised more.
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Rohm doesn't want to command
auxiliaries.
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He wanted an army.
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He saw himself as a commander,
the commander of the new Nazi army.
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These are promises Hitler made
before he became Chancellor.
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In his view, Hitler...
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..betrays his friends.
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So, running out of patience,
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Rohm makes a wild and bold move.
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He goes behind Hitler's back and
tries to take control of the army
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from the aristocratic generals,
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men who report directly to the army
supreme commander,
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President Hindenburg.
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I suspect Hindenburg is pretty
horrified at this.
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The armed forces are the servants
of that state and of its people...
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..on a apolitical basis,
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and there is no room for political
manoeuvring
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by the armed forces of any state.
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They were just a load of bully boys
and were, by no means,
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an army which could, for example,
attack France and prevail.
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I mean, it is unthinkable.
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That was the job of the army
proper.
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So Hitler can't afford to upset the
generals and the president.
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But, with Rohm, it's more than
politics -
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it's personal.
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Rohm opened gates for Hitler.
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Rohm was the one who had influence.
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Hitler is a frequent visitor to the
Rohm family,
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Rohm's mother and his sister,
Eleonore,
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so they became friends.
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And therefore Rohm is someone who
supports Hitler
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not only politically, but, at the
same time, personally.
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And when Hitler's niece and rumoured
lover killed herself,
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it was Rohm he wanted with him at
the graveside.
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Hitler is stuck between the
president and his friend.
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When it comes to dealing with Rohm,
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Hermann Goring has no such qualms.
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For Goring, the problem with Rohm,
I think,
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is that Rohm has ambitions to be a
second, perhaps,
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to Hitler. You know, that's what
Goring wants to be.
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00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:04,920
Is it possible, perhaps, that Rohm
is thinking of launching some kind
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of revolution, even putting Hitler
to one side?
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Now, for Goring, that would be
unthinkable.
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He's got to find a way of persuading
Hitler that, you know,
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this is a point at which he's got to
break that friendship with Rohm.
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He's got to recognise that Rohm is
not just a companion
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but he's a threat,
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00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:27,520
so all that Goring has got to do is
to show Hitler evidence
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that Rohm is not loyal.
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So Goring orders his secret
surveillance organisation,
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the Research Bureau, to go after
Rohm...
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..building a file of everything Rohm
says or does.
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00:12:08,040 --> 00:12:12,960
And Hitler publicly forces Rohm to
back down from his demands
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for the Stormtroopers to take over
Germany's army.
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He summons Rohm and the army leaders
to a meeting,
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where he makes it clear that the
army,
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and not the Stormtroopers,
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are Germany's military force.
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It's a devastating blow for Rohm.
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He's even forced to shake hands
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with the defence minister -
General Blomberg.
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Shaking hands with Blomberg meant
nothing to Rohm.
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He, er, saw...
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..the Nazi Party, the Nazi militia,
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now in the driver's seat.
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Afterwards, Rohm makes a series of
thinly veiled threats.
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"Hitler is a ridiculous corporal
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"and should go on leave."
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Rohm very openly criticised Hitler
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for his decision to go with an army,
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therefore he was, kind of,
a dangerous person
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because Rohm didn't let go.
He doesn't accept it.
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And he was a danger to this whole
notion of Hitler as Fuhrer.
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00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:10,720
Goring now makes a shrewd move in
his plot against Rohm.
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He enlists the help of his rival -
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Heinrich Himmler.
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00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:23,840
Over the past year,
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Himmler has taken over police forces
across Germany,
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but the biggest and most powerful
remains outside his control.
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In April, Goring gives Himmler
the thing he wants most -
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his Gestapo.
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In exchange, Goring plans to harness
Himmler's terror network
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to bring down Rohm.
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Himmler is pleased.
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He's now inspector of the Gestapo,
so he's almost there,
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on his way to taking over control of
all German police forces.
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One character trait about Himmler
that is the most important one
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is his absolute careerism and his
ruthlessness -
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his ambition, his drive,
to make it to the top.
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Here is someone who prioritises
rational procedures over emotions -
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over human feelings.
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As head of the Stormtroopers,
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Rohm is Himmler's superior,
a man he'd once hero worshipped.
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But Himmler now dreams of destroying
the Stormtroopers
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and making his own SS Germany's only
paramilitary force.
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Himmler, in public, had to display
some loyalty towards Rohm.
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Behind the scenes,
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Himmler had no qualms about getting
rid of Rohm.
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Himmler is collecting evidence
against Rohm,
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putting Rohm into a really bad
light,
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in terms of Rohm's private life,
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00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:20,120
in terms of Rohm's political
activities.
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00:16:20,120 --> 00:16:23,280
Himmler makes sure that it reaches
Hitler's desk.
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Himmler hopes very much that Hitler
will finally act
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and eliminate Rohm.
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Rohm has an Achilles heel
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that Goring and Himmler are keen to
exploit.
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He is openly gay at a time when it's
illegal.
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00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:48,360
He frequented Berlin's famous gay
club, The Eldorado,
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sipping cocktails with men dressed
in drag.
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Rohm lived a different life than all
others.
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He was a homosexual
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and he lived this kind of life
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more and more openly.
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He met with male prostitutes.
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In the view of his comrades,
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he was not normal.
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Since the Nazis came to power,
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they have strictly enforced the
socially conservative laws -
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00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:38,080
meaning Rohm could face imprisonment
for his sexuality.
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Defying his colleagues,
Rohm has joined an organisation
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campaigning for gay rights.
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The Nazis wanted to transform
society.
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Everything should be clean, Aryan...
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Er, no prostitutes.
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00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:06,240
No smoking, women...
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..and Rohm...
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..dismissed this.
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00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:23,360
It shows the stern character of Rohm
that he openly
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lived his homosexuality.
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00:18:26,600 --> 00:18:34,240
In a letter, he said, "I know it's a
criminal act in Germany,
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00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:38,480
"but, then, I'm a criminal and they
have to take me like this."
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00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:44,120
Rohm obviously felt very secure
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00:18:44,120 --> 00:18:47,400
because he was such a close friend
to Hitler.
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00:18:53,360 --> 00:18:57,040
For years, Rohm's sexuality has been
an open secret.
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00:18:59,120 --> 00:19:03,520
Hitler even defended Rohm when the
press tried to expose him.
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00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:09,720
Hitler wasn't particularly bothered
by Rohm's homosexuality.
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00:19:09,720 --> 00:19:13,640
He, as it were, forgave him because
of his services
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00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:17,280
to the movement and his obvious
loyalty to Hitler.
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00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:20,920
Hitler didn't really want to know
about people's private lives,
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I think.
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00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:26,120
Hitler had a certain kind of loyalty
to old comrades,
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00:19:26,120 --> 00:19:29,000
which he certainly felt towards
Rohm.
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00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:33,240
But now Hitler sees that Rohm's
sexuality
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00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:35,160
could be a way to bring him down.
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00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:39,680
Meanwhile, Rohm is making his own
moves.
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00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:21,040
In early 1934,
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00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:24,000
Rohm stages Stormtrooper manoeuvres
across Germany.
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00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:28,800
Stormtrooper membership is growing
fast
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00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:31,800
and Rohm now commands around four
million men.
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00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:36,640
He publicly calls for revolution.
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00:20:56,280 --> 00:20:58,160
Unable to bring Rohm to heel,
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00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:02,160
Hitler's ability to pass himself
off as a respectable statesman
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00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:03,760
is under threat.
235
00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:12,240
The elites that surround President
Hindenburg are getting nervous.
236
00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:17,520
The aristocratic Vice Chancellor
Franz von Papen
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00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:19,480
helped Hitler get into power.
238
00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:26,400
Now he's dealing with the
consequences.
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00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:30,200
Papen has been uneasy...
240
00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:33,560
..because of the...
241
00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:35,880
..the general lawlessness
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00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:40,000
is now becoming the talking point of
the civilised world.
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00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:44,040
These Stormtroopers are intimidating
diplomats,
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00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:47,160
people who are going to report back
to their own country.
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00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:52,840
It is a troubling thing for him to
see that this will essentially
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00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:56,520
end up by damaging Germany's
reputation in the outside world.
247
00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:03,000
Then news comes through that the
president is on his last legs
248
00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:05,000
and won't live much longer.
249
00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:12,960
Hitler wants President Hindenburg to
name him successor before he dies
250
00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:15,720
so he can take complete control of
Germany.
251
00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:20,920
If the ruling class wants to stop
that from happening,
252
00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:22,840
it's now or never.
253
00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:26,560
And the next move comes from an
unlikely player.
254
00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:33,480
Inside the Vice Chancellor's office
is Papen's speech writer,
255
00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:35,680
Edgar Jung,
256
00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:40,440
a right wing intellectual, who is
secretly plotting Hitler's downfall.
257
00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:57,200
Jung belongs to the educated upper
bourgeois
258
00:22:57,200 --> 00:23:00,600
and he grows up steeped in their
values.
259
00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:05,040
He sees himself as belonging to the
class that should be ruling.
260
00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:08,560
He sees himself as a potential
Minister of the Interior,
261
00:23:08,560 --> 00:23:11,040
if not a Chancellor of a future
Germany.
262
00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:14,080
So, when the Nazis first come in,
Jung is absolutely delighted.
263
00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:17,480
He sees them as a very convenient
vehicle for change.
264
00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:23,520
They are very strong leadership.
265
00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:26,000
They are bringing a new
authoritarian sense
266
00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:27,760
of direction to Germany.
267
00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:34,000
1933, '34 is a very bad year for
Germany.
268
00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:38,800
There is still huge amounts of
violence,
269
00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:40,800
with the Stormtroopers on the
streets.
270
00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:48,200
There isn't the immediate economic
miracle they had hoped for.
271
00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:52,680
The honeymoon period for the Nazis
is over.
272
00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:55,800
I think Jung feels a real sense of
responsibility and guilt
273
00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:59,240
for enabling someone like this to
then entrench themselves
274
00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:01,320
at the leadership,
at the very highest levels
275
00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:03,240
of his country's politics.
276
00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:08,040
Deep within Papen's Vice
Chancellery,
277
00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:11,440
Jung and others have formed a
resistance cell.
278
00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:19,880
He's working with people who have
got connections in intelligence.
279
00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:22,400
They are trying to warn people
before they get arrested,
280
00:24:22,400 --> 00:24:25,240
they're trying to get people out of
the country when possible,
281
00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:28,320
they're trying to get people out of
prison when they have been arrested.
282
00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:30,880
Politically, they're manoeuvring
inside the Reichstag,
283
00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:32,960
so they're doing really quite
important
284
00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:34,800
and very dangerous political work.
285
00:24:35,960 --> 00:24:38,480
Jung had even made a plan to
assassinate Hitler...
286
00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:43,720
..but abandoned it in case it
damaged his own political ambitions.
287
00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:51,880
Instead, Jung plans to get Hitler
removed from power.
288
00:24:53,360 --> 00:24:56,200
He'll write a high profile speech
for Papen
289
00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:59,360
that will expose the violent truth
about Rohm,
290
00:24:59,360 --> 00:25:01,960
the Stormtroopers and Nazi rule.
291
00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:07,680
The speech should be enough to force
Hindenburg to get rid of Hitler...
292
00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:13,040
..but it all hinges on getting Papen
to deliver it.
293
00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:18,000
Jung realises that this is a good
moment,
294
00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:20,120
both because we have public
discontent,
295
00:25:20,120 --> 00:25:23,640
we have the threat of violence
turning into something more,
296
00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:25,480
perhaps a political putsch...
297
00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:30,640
..and we have Hindenburg's
deteriorating health.
298
00:25:30,640 --> 00:25:33,800
It's the time to act and,
conveniently, at this moment,
299
00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:37,400
Papen gets an invitation from the
University of Marburg
300
00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:40,040
to give a speech, which is perfect.
301
00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:46,600
Jung is an intellectual and he's a
communicator,
302
00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:51,360
and he puts pen to paper,
and what he drafts is basically
303
00:25:51,360 --> 00:25:53,160
his alternative manifesto,
304
00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:57,720
or at least his alternative path for
Germany.
305
00:26:07,120 --> 00:26:10,680
Jung doesn't trust Papen to deliver
the speech,
306
00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:14,400
but he has some insurance policies.
307
00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:16,840
He distributes advanced copies to
the press...
308
00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:20,560
..and gets Goebbels' propaganda
ministry
309
00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:23,360
to agree to a live radio broadcast
310
00:26:23,360 --> 00:26:27,440
so that Hindenburg can listen from
his estate.
311
00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:30,600
And Jung doesn't give Papen the
speech
312
00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:32,760
until he is on his way to Marburg.
313
00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:39,600
Papen is travelling towards Marburg
in Hesse, in central Germany,
314
00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:42,600
to give a speech to some 600 people.
315
00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:46,960
Papen, as a leading representative,
the Vice Chancellor,
316
00:26:46,960 --> 00:26:49,200
is a representative of the
government
317
00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:51,720
sent out, essentially, to do...
318
00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:55,640
..call it what you will, marketing
or PR for the government.
319
00:26:55,640 --> 00:26:58,640
And he reads the speech,
320
00:26:58,640 --> 00:27:02,160
the words that are being put into
his mouth, and he is alarmed.
321
00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:05,920
He says that this speech could cost
him his head.
322
00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:10,720
But the speech has already been sent
out, and therefore some members
323
00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:14,160
of the press already have the
speech. He can't go back on it,
324
00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:17,640
so he reluctantly agrees to deliver
the speech.
325
00:27:23,120 --> 00:27:24,920
Jung knows that Papen...
326
00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:29,280
..maybe he won't have the backbone
to give the talk word-for-word,
327
00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:32,080
as he's written it, but then also
maybe he hasn't got the intellect
328
00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:34,720
or the backbone to replace it with
something else.
329
00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:37,360
It's all very last-minute, so he's
really on tenterhooks
330
00:27:37,360 --> 00:27:38,880
to see what is delivered.
331
00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:40,840
RADIO HISSES
332
00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:46,880
Jung is listening to the radio,
incredibly anxious.
333
00:27:46,880 --> 00:27:48,720
"What's going to happen?"
334
00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:51,160
PAPEN'S VOICE ON RADIO
335
00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:54,640
And Papen begins to deliver the
speech.
336
00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:11,640
And he gives is pretty much as
given.
337
00:28:11,640 --> 00:28:14,520
Because he gets on a roll,
he responds to his audience.
338
00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:16,560
This is revolutionary stuff.
339
00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:24,960
It is a very dramatic speech,
as well.
340
00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:27,400
He uses this incredibly strong
language,
341
00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:31,000
so he talks about it being time to
silence the fanatics
342
00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:35,960
and, er, make room for the work of
serious men to do the serious work.
343
00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:55,520
There's thunderous applause in the
hall and Papen adores being adored,
344
00:28:55,520 --> 00:28:57,000
and so he gets on a real roll
345
00:28:57,000 --> 00:28:59,320
and he delivers the whole thing
word for word.
346
00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:09,480
Jung can hardly believe it.
347
00:29:09,480 --> 00:29:11,600
He's banging his hand repeatedly
on the table,
348
00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:13,920
saying, "He bought it!
He bought it!"
349
00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:16,000
So he's absolutely delighted.
350
00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:23,440
Some of the Stormtroopers quite
pointedly walk out of the room,
351
00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:26,040
but essentially it's a huge success.
352
00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:32,120
Papen seems to be delighted.
353
00:29:32,120 --> 00:29:34,640
There's a wonderful photograph of
him walking down the steps
354
00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:36,720
of the hall afterwards and he really
looks like
355
00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:38,040
the cat that's got the cream.
356
00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:46,480
He was the object of the adulation
of the crowd
357
00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:49,840
and that sort of thing probably goes
to his head a little bit.
358
00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:59,200
The Marburg speech sent shock waves
across Germany
359
00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:01,920
and the public rally in support of
Papen,
360
00:30:01,920 --> 00:30:05,000
who sees an opportunity to become
President himself.
361
00:30:06,880 --> 00:30:08,400
To topple Hitler,
362
00:30:08,400 --> 00:30:13,440
all Papen needs to do now is seize
the momentum and get to Hindenburg.
363
00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:20,560
But when the Nazis order news of the
speech to be banned,
364
00:30:20,560 --> 00:30:24,960
Papen's ego is bruised and he
decides to first visit Hitler.
365
00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:28,720
Papen is furious and goes to
complain to Hitler,
366
00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:32,320
threatening to resign as
Vice Chancellor of the Reich.
367
00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:36,120
That was a big problem for him.
368
00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:39,400
There's a danger that Von Papen
would go to see Hindenburg
369
00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:42,640
and get his blessing to become his
successor.
370
00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:47,880
So this is not the moment Hitler
wants to see a rebellion
371
00:30:47,880 --> 00:30:49,800
within his own cabinet.
372
00:30:49,800 --> 00:30:53,120
Danger was that the army would link
up with Von Papen
373
00:30:53,120 --> 00:30:56,520
and the Conservatives because they
saw very much eye-to-eye.
374
00:30:56,520 --> 00:30:59,520
The senior generals themselves are
political conservatives,
375
00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:01,600
they weren't Nazis at this stage,
376
00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:05,360
and the danger was there'd be some
kind of Conservative coup.
377
00:31:07,320 --> 00:31:11,120
Hitler convinces Papen to delay his
visit to see Hindenburg,
378
00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:14,520
suggesting they make the trip
together instead.
379
00:31:16,080 --> 00:31:22,320
He manages to run rings around Papen
because Papen suddenly loses
380
00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:26,000
that ability to see the urgency of
the situation -
381
00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:29,560
that he needs to get to East Prussia
to talk to Hindenburg.
382
00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:33,640
If he moved at precisely that
moment,
383
00:31:33,640 --> 00:31:36,000
he might be able to do something.
384
00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:41,320
But, as it is, he loses that chance
and fails to seize the moment
385
00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:44,200
which might have been actually
instrumental
386
00:31:44,200 --> 00:31:45,840
in bringing Hitler down.
387
00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:55,000
Hitler has played Papen cleverly.
388
00:31:56,440 --> 00:31:58,120
Going behind his back,
389
00:31:58,120 --> 00:32:02,200
Hitler arranges to meet with the
president at his country estate.
390
00:32:03,720 --> 00:32:07,480
Hitler himself hotfoots it up to
Neudeck, in East Prussia,
391
00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:10,960
to go and see Hindenburg and find
out what sort of state
392
00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:14,480
his health's in and whether he's
likely to fall off the perch
quickly,
393
00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:17,680
or whether they need to do something
about it fast.
394
00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:24,440
Hindenburg and his generals issue
an ultimatum to Hitler to bring
395
00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:28,560
the revolutionary troublemakers
under control or face martial law
396
00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:31,000
and the transfer of power to the
army.
397
00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:34,560
Hindenburg is pointing to the
Stormtroopers and saying,
398
00:32:34,560 --> 00:32:35,840
"Enough is enough."
399
00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:41,160
Hitler, now seeing that he is
slightly pinched on both sides,
400
00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:45,160
both by the rebellious nature of
Papen...
401
00:32:46,760 --> 00:32:49,880
..and the fact that the President,
who can dismiss him,
402
00:32:49,880 --> 00:32:54,680
is looking angrily at him about the
Stormtroopers,
403
00:32:54,680 --> 00:32:56,560
Hitler then decides to act.
404
00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:05,160
And now Jung has created the crisis
and the man that capitalises
405
00:33:05,160 --> 00:33:08,280
on the crisis is not Papen,
406
00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:10,120
it's not Jung, it's Hitler.
407
00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:13,320
And suddenly he realises that there
is more to this man,
408
00:33:13,320 --> 00:33:16,040
that there is a real potential
problem here.
409
00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:22,160
Papen has missed a historic
opportunity to stop Hitler.
410
00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:26,440
Realising his life may now be in
danger, Jung starts planning
411
00:33:26,440 --> 00:33:28,640
to flee the country.
412
00:33:28,640 --> 00:33:31,000
Jung should have realised
immediately
413
00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:32,680
that his plan is unravelling
414
00:33:32,680 --> 00:33:36,000
and that potentially he himself
is personally in danger.
415
00:33:41,320 --> 00:33:45,120
British intelligence has uncovered
that he is likely to be arrested
416
00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:47,440
and he is warned by a British
journalist and a member
417
00:33:47,440 --> 00:33:51,000
of the Reichstag that his arrest is
likely to be imminent.
418
00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:54,160
Eventually, he concedes that perhaps
it is safer for him probably to get
419
00:33:54,160 --> 00:33:55,960
to Switzerland at this point.
420
00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:02,640
Hitler needs to now decide how to
deal with the two impending
421
00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:04,760
threats to his power,
422
00:34:04,760 --> 00:34:09,040
Rohm and the Stormtroopers, and the
aristocratic right
423
00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:12,440
that could still yet persuade
Hindenburg to get rid of him.
424
00:34:17,240 --> 00:34:18,960
Ready for this moment,
425
00:34:18,960 --> 00:34:22,800
Himmler and the SS have been busy
inventing evidence...
426
00:34:24,320 --> 00:34:28,320
..planting the seed of an idea that
Rohm and the elites have in fact
427
00:34:28,320 --> 00:34:31,280
joined forces to launch a coup
against Hitler.
428
00:34:38,120 --> 00:34:41,360
Himmler is working tirelessly in
June 1934...
429
00:34:42,680 --> 00:34:47,320
..cos Himmler knows that this is a
now or never moment for himself,
430
00:34:47,320 --> 00:34:51,840
for the SS, to win the upper hand
against the Stormtroopers
431
00:34:51,840 --> 00:34:57,240
and to retaliate against members of
the conservative elite
432
00:34:57,240 --> 00:34:59,880
who have expressed criticism of the
Nazis -
433
00:34:59,880 --> 00:35:02,360
people like Jung, people like Papen.
434
00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:09,560
Himmler created this dossier about
Rohm's alleged putsch plans
435
00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:14,720
against Hitler. Rohm is planning a
putsch aided by the former
436
00:35:14,720 --> 00:35:19,800
German Chancellor, Von Schleicher,
one of the archenemies of Hitler.
437
00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:24,560
Himmler really manages to construct
this image of a conspiracy,
438
00:35:24,560 --> 00:35:27,240
of a coalition between the
conservative right
439
00:35:27,240 --> 00:35:28,680
and the Stormtroopers.
440
00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:31,320
There was no such coalition.
441
00:35:31,320 --> 00:35:33,880
All of these charges were completely
trumped up.
442
00:35:33,880 --> 00:35:36,600
All of these charges are completely
trumped up.
443
00:35:48,080 --> 00:35:53,120
Meanwhile, Himmler's Gestapo agents
burst into Jung's apartment
444
00:35:53,120 --> 00:35:55,600
just as his bags are packed for
Switzerland.
445
00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:17,480
When they arrest him, they do a
thorough search of his apartment
446
00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:21,680
and they discover papers negotiating
the fee
447
00:36:21,680 --> 00:36:24,120
he would get for writing that speech
from Papen,
448
00:36:24,120 --> 00:36:25,520
so that is their evidence.
449
00:36:25,520 --> 00:36:28,360
It's now clear that he is
the author of the Marburg speech.
450
00:36:28,360 --> 00:36:30,960
He goes to the bathroom and he
actually scribbles "Gestapo"
451
00:36:30,960 --> 00:36:34,320
on the bathroom cabinet - to warn
his friends what has happened.
452
00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:41,120
With Jung in custody, Papen finally
understands what's at stake
453
00:36:41,120 --> 00:36:43,160
and just who he's dealing with.
454
00:36:43,160 --> 00:36:49,440
Papen hears that Edgar Jung has been
arrested and flies to Berlin
455
00:36:49,440 --> 00:36:52,200
and demands an audience with Hitler.
456
00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:53,920
Hitler refuses to see him.
457
00:36:53,920 --> 00:36:57,440
At this point,
Papen sees the urgency
458
00:36:57,440 --> 00:37:02,280
of visiting Hindenburg and arranges
to meet him
459
00:37:02,280 --> 00:37:04,880
in Neudeck, in East Prussia.
460
00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:07,120
This is a critical moment.
461
00:37:07,120 --> 00:37:10,800
Hindenburg's health has taken a turn
for the worse.
462
00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:15,160
If Papen is to stop Hitler, he must
get to Hindenburg immediately.
463
00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:28,760
But news of Papen's meeting reaches
Himmler, who is readying the SS
464
00:37:28,760 --> 00:37:33,120
to strike against the aristocracy
and the Stormtroopers.
465
00:37:34,760 --> 00:37:39,800
Himmler summons SS leaders and he
tells them that the Stormtroopers
466
00:37:39,800 --> 00:37:44,600
are planning a putsch. Robust action
must be taken swiftly, ruthlessly
467
00:37:44,600 --> 00:37:49,000
and decisively, so Himmler and the
SS are beginning to prepare lists
468
00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:52,920
of Stormtroopers who are to be
arrested, who are to be executed.
469
00:38:00,600 --> 00:38:03,840
But even as the time to act draws
near,
470
00:38:03,840 --> 00:38:07,400
Hitler seems to remain loyal to
Rohm.
471
00:38:08,640 --> 00:38:10,760
And Rohm promises to lie low.
472
00:38:12,040 --> 00:38:16,600
He takes leave at the Bavarian
lakeside resort of Tegernsee.
473
00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:32,160
Rohm leaves Berlin for Bavaria,
Tegernsee,
474
00:38:32,160 --> 00:38:36,040
where he stays in a nice hotel,
475
00:38:36,040 --> 00:38:39,120
and Rohm feels...
476
00:38:40,760 --> 00:38:42,680
..not very well.
477
00:38:42,680 --> 00:38:49,240
He had has problems with his health
and he is...
478
00:38:49,240 --> 00:38:52,920
..very thoughtful during this time.
479
00:38:52,920 --> 00:38:59,440
He is very, kind of, remote and this
is definitely not a time for him
480
00:38:59,440 --> 00:39:05,160
to party or to celebrate.
He seems to think about his future.
481
00:39:16,840 --> 00:39:19,600
Opposition inside and outside
the Nazi Party
482
00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:21,320
must now be annihilated...
483
00:39:22,800 --> 00:39:26,400
..but Goring and Himmler still need
word from Hitler
484
00:39:26,400 --> 00:39:29,480
before they can move against their
enemies.
485
00:39:36,840 --> 00:39:38,600
On the 28th of June,
486
00:39:38,600 --> 00:39:43,800
Hitler and Goring go to the wedding
of a local Gauleiter.
487
00:39:43,800 --> 00:39:48,320
It's a normal ceremony for Hitler to
attend.
488
00:39:50,600 --> 00:39:52,960
The conspirators have devised a plan
489
00:39:52,960 --> 00:39:56,480
to psychologically prepare Hitler
to take action.
490
00:40:06,760 --> 00:40:10,000
In the middle of the wedding,
491
00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:12,520
there's a moment of drama.
492
00:40:16,280 --> 00:40:19,880
Himmler arrives and this is the
point at which
493
00:40:19,880 --> 00:40:23,520
they're going to tell Hitler about
the dangers that he's facing.
494
00:40:35,200 --> 00:40:38,960
Himmler comes in with the news
that Papen...
495
00:40:40,840 --> 00:40:45,160
..is about to see
President von Hindenburg
496
00:40:45,160 --> 00:40:47,800
on his estate in East Prussia.
497
00:40:47,800 --> 00:40:50,760
This raises the alarm for Hitler.
498
00:40:52,680 --> 00:40:55,440
Hitler is extremely concerned that,
if he doesn't act swiftly
499
00:40:55,440 --> 00:40:58,440
against the Stormtroopers, now that
he knows that Papen
500
00:40:58,440 --> 00:41:01,520
will be seen by Hindenburg,
then Hindenburg might stop
501
00:41:01,520 --> 00:41:06,640
supporting the Nazi regime, that
Hitler might lose some of his power,
502
00:41:06,640 --> 00:41:09,320
that the army might be given some
more power.
503
00:41:12,160 --> 00:41:17,320
To give him a final push, Hitler is
shown documents that allege Rohm
504
00:41:17,320 --> 00:41:21,200
and the Stormtroopers are plotting
against him.
505
00:41:21,200 --> 00:41:25,240
I think, for Hitler, it's a
difficult moment, psychologically,
506
00:41:25,240 --> 00:41:28,960
to confront the fact that Rohm could
be...
507
00:41:30,320 --> 00:41:35,720
..guilty of plotting against Hitler,
plotting against the regime.
508
00:41:37,600 --> 00:41:41,000
Having two people there prodding
him, providing him with
509
00:41:41,000 --> 00:41:43,760
what was in fact rather spurious
evidence
510
00:41:43,760 --> 00:41:45,920
about the possibility of a coup,
511
00:41:45,920 --> 00:41:49,960
is, for Hitler, really necessary,
you know?
512
00:41:49,960 --> 00:41:53,440
He needs to have his indecision
ended.
513
00:41:53,440 --> 00:41:55,600
He needs somebody to prod him...
514
00:41:57,000 --> 00:41:59,360
..but then it needs to be his
decision.
515
00:42:07,520 --> 00:42:09,360
So, he's prodded and prodded and
prodded
516
00:42:09,360 --> 00:42:11,080
and suddenly says, "Yes, that's it."
517
00:42:11,080 --> 00:42:12,480
You know, "I've had enough."
518
00:42:12,480 --> 00:42:15,920
And what follows is, you know,
can be described only,
519
00:42:15,920 --> 00:42:17,760
really, as mafia politics.
520
00:42:33,000 --> 00:42:39,600
Hitler travels through the night to
personally arrest Rohm at his hotel.
521
00:42:46,320 --> 00:42:51,600
Rohm doesn't expect Hitler coming,
522
00:42:51,600 --> 00:42:56,120
practically with all members of the
inner circle,
523
00:42:56,120 --> 00:42:57,600
to arrest him.
524
00:43:01,120 --> 00:43:04,480
As far as we know,
Rohm was really stunned.
525
00:43:04,480 --> 00:43:08,760
He was very quiet during this time
of arrest.
526
00:43:11,640 --> 00:43:16,360
Rohm just sat there and it seems
527
00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:21,680
as if Rohm still feels very
confident...
528
00:43:22,720 --> 00:43:25,840
..that there is no danger for him,
personally.
529
00:43:33,360 --> 00:43:38,880
Meanwhile, Goring and Himmler are
poised for action in Berlin.
530
00:43:42,000 --> 00:43:46,040
Goring and Himmler have returned to
Berlin from Essen, from the wedding.
531
00:43:46,040 --> 00:43:48,920
They lock themselves away in the
Leipzig Palace,
532
00:43:48,920 --> 00:43:53,720
they surround it with armed guards,
just in case there really is
533
00:43:53,720 --> 00:43:55,960
an attack from the Stormtroopers.
534
00:43:57,480 --> 00:44:01,000
Himmler, in this situation,
is very cool.
535
00:44:01,000 --> 00:44:03,520
He's very calculated.
536
00:44:03,520 --> 00:44:04,960
He is patient.
537
00:44:04,960 --> 00:44:08,560
He knows that he needs to wait for
the order
538
00:44:08,560 --> 00:44:10,600
of the Fuhrer to come through.
539
00:44:18,960 --> 00:44:23,080
At 10.00am, Goring and Himmler
receive the code word.
540
00:44:25,000 --> 00:44:30,720
Then, throughout Germany,
sealed orders are opened by SS men -
541
00:44:30,720 --> 00:44:33,120
revealing lists of their victims.
542
00:44:39,960 --> 00:44:43,960
Goring is the kind of impresario of
the drama and Himmler, once again,
543
00:44:43,960 --> 00:44:45,440
is the obedient secretary,
544
00:44:45,440 --> 00:44:48,720
carrying everything out that needs
to be carried out.
545
00:44:48,720 --> 00:44:52,600
Himmler is coordinating the arrests
and executions in Berlin
546
00:44:52,600 --> 00:44:56,360
together with Goring. They go
through lists, they go through lists
547
00:44:56,360 --> 00:44:59,600
of who's to be arrested,
of who is to be shot.
548
00:45:00,800 --> 00:45:02,200
The killing begins.
549
00:45:07,200 --> 00:45:09,360
GUNSHOTS
550
00:45:14,360 --> 00:45:18,600
Former Chancellor Kurt von
Schleicher is murdered at home,
551
00:45:18,600 --> 00:45:20,320
alongside his wife.
552
00:45:26,240 --> 00:45:29,560
Rebel Nazis, who once threatened to
split the party,
553
00:45:29,560 --> 00:45:31,480
are also taken care of.
554
00:45:37,200 --> 00:45:40,600
The men in Papen's office are also
on the list.
555
00:45:46,440 --> 00:45:48,760
Papen is arrested and placed under
house arrest.
556
00:45:48,760 --> 00:45:53,480
He can't do anything to act,
to save the members
557
00:45:53,480 --> 00:45:57,040
of his own department, and various
people in his entourage
558
00:45:57,040 --> 00:46:01,320
are, essentially, murdered.
He is lucky, in many respects,
559
00:46:01,320 --> 00:46:03,200
to survive with his life.
560
00:46:08,600 --> 00:46:12,360
All we know with Jung is that he is
executed.
561
00:46:16,240 --> 00:46:18,600
The place of death is left
unrecorded,
562
00:46:18,600 --> 00:46:21,080
which is a mark of disrespect,
as well,
563
00:46:21,080 --> 00:46:24,120
and sometime later his family
receive his ashes
564
00:46:24,120 --> 00:46:25,800
and his empty wallet.
565
00:46:25,800 --> 00:46:27,640
That is the end of Jung.
566
00:46:33,960 --> 00:46:36,520
It sounds very bizarre to us,
but Himmler is guided
567
00:46:36,520 --> 00:46:38,200
by a different moral compass.
568
00:46:38,200 --> 00:46:42,120
Himmler believes that it is
necessary for the survival
569
00:46:42,120 --> 00:46:46,320
of the Nazi regime to act so
ruthlessly against the people
570
00:46:46,320 --> 00:46:50,880
on the list of those to be arrested,
of those to be executed.
571
00:46:50,880 --> 00:46:53,240
For Himmler, it is an office job
routine.
572
00:46:53,240 --> 00:46:56,040
For at least 100 people
who were murdered
573
00:46:56,040 --> 00:46:59,360
in the aftermath of the Night of the
Long Knives...
574
00:47:01,120 --> 00:47:02,880
..this was the end of their lives.
575
00:47:06,280 --> 00:47:08,680
By the evening of June the 30th,
576
00:47:08,680 --> 00:47:11,080
dozens have been executed.
577
00:47:11,080 --> 00:47:14,320
Any possible conservative or
Stormtrooper rebellion
578
00:47:14,320 --> 00:47:15,600
has been crushed.
579
00:47:16,800 --> 00:47:20,080
Still alive, though, is Hitler's
friend -
580
00:47:20,080 --> 00:47:21,600
Ernst Rohm.
581
00:47:41,720 --> 00:47:48,080
Bizarrely, the day after the
murders, Hitler hosted a party -
582
00:47:48,080 --> 00:47:50,160
almost as if nothing had happened.
583
00:47:54,040 --> 00:47:56,800
It curiously resembled, I think,
the way that some murderers,
584
00:47:56,800 --> 00:47:59,560
when they've murdered somebody,
they wash their hands,
585
00:47:59,560 --> 00:48:02,640
they change their clothes, they want
to put all that behind them
586
00:48:02,640 --> 00:48:04,640
and then they can walk out into the
streets -
587
00:48:04,640 --> 00:48:06,240
as if nothing had happened.
588
00:48:09,240 --> 00:48:11,160
This is a really incongruous scene.
589
00:48:11,160 --> 00:48:14,880
Imagine that some of the bloodiest
murders in the history
590
00:48:14,880 --> 00:48:18,360
of the Third Reich have taken place
on the previous day.
591
00:48:18,360 --> 00:48:21,320
Now, Hitler has invited members of
the Reich cabinet
592
00:48:21,320 --> 00:48:23,280
and their wives to a party.
593
00:48:29,440 --> 00:48:33,840
Himmler and Goring learned that Rohm
has not been executed.
594
00:48:36,520 --> 00:48:39,200
He's an old companion, old fighter,
595
00:48:39,200 --> 00:48:43,680
and he just can't bring himself to
order Rohm to be murdered.
596
00:48:46,120 --> 00:48:49,800
So it's one of those occasions where
Hitler hesitates and he needs
597
00:48:49,800 --> 00:48:54,120
other people to prod him again into
making that decision.
598
00:48:54,120 --> 00:48:56,320
And for Goring and Himmler,
it's really important.
599
00:48:56,320 --> 00:48:58,320
You know, the whole thing was to
get rid of Rohm!
600
00:48:58,320 --> 00:49:01,440
So they've got to get Hitler to make
the decision
601
00:49:01,440 --> 00:49:03,600
that Rohm must be executed, too.
602
00:49:11,240 --> 00:49:13,320
As with other major decisions,
603
00:49:13,320 --> 00:49:17,320
Hitler has waited for the crucial
moment to play his hand.
604
00:49:22,480 --> 00:49:25,800
Hitler was always prepared to use
violent action in the end.
605
00:49:25,800 --> 00:49:29,400
He didn't have any hesitation about
having people shot, killed,
606
00:49:29,400 --> 00:49:32,440
murdered, robbed, beaten up or
tortured -
607
00:49:32,440 --> 00:49:34,360
it didn't really matter to him.
608
00:49:37,560 --> 00:49:41,520
In that sense, the so-called Rohm
putsch,
609
00:49:41,520 --> 00:49:44,560
the murder of scores of people
610
00:49:44,560 --> 00:49:48,000
he regarded as traitors to the
cause,
611
00:49:48,000 --> 00:49:51,600
that wasn't particularly something
that he felt was bad.
612
00:49:51,600 --> 00:49:53,760
He felt, by this stage, he was above
the law.
613
00:49:53,760 --> 00:49:56,680
In a sense, he'd always felt he was
above the law.
614
00:50:01,880 --> 00:50:04,360
Hitler's decision is to offer Rohm
615
00:50:04,360 --> 00:50:06,000
the honourable way out.
616
00:50:15,200 --> 00:50:17,080
At Stadelheim Prison,
617
00:50:17,080 --> 00:50:20,520
Rohm is forced to make a terrible
choice.
618
00:50:23,320 --> 00:50:26,000
For Rohm, it must have been
astonishing, then,
619
00:50:26,000 --> 00:50:30,880
to see Theodor Eicke, who is the
620
00:50:30,880 --> 00:50:36,000
commander of the
Dachau concentration camp.
621
00:50:45,080 --> 00:50:48,520
A pistol is put into Rohm's cell,
622
00:50:48,520 --> 00:50:52,680
together with a copy of the
Volkischer Beobachter Nazi
newspaper,
623
00:50:52,680 --> 00:50:55,360
with stories about the Rohm purge,
624
00:50:55,360 --> 00:50:57,440
about Rohm's alleged conspiracy.
625
00:51:08,800 --> 00:51:10,720
I wouldn't see Rohm as a victim.
626
00:51:10,720 --> 00:51:14,840
He himself, and he says this very
openly,
627
00:51:14,840 --> 00:51:19,080
he himself would kill people,
would kill his enemies.
628
00:51:20,320 --> 00:51:22,560
Killing was no problem for Rohm.
629
00:51:30,680 --> 00:51:33,440
Rohm does not want to shoot himself.
630
00:51:36,440 --> 00:51:38,440
So, after ten minutes,
631
00:51:38,440 --> 00:51:42,800
the commander of the Dachau camp,
Theodor Eicke,
632
00:51:42,800 --> 00:51:48,200
storms into Rohm's cell and shoots
him at close range.
633
00:51:48,200 --> 00:51:50,200
GUNSHOT
634
00:52:05,640 --> 00:52:07,960
This is the end of the Night of the
Long Knives.
635
00:52:07,960 --> 00:52:09,760
This is the end of Rohm.
636
00:52:09,760 --> 00:52:12,120
This is the end of the leader of the
Stormtroopers,
637
00:52:12,120 --> 00:52:15,040
who was, until then, Hitler's
closest ally,
638
00:52:15,040 --> 00:52:17,720
Hitler's closest supporter.
639
00:52:30,280 --> 00:52:35,080
Hitler was always relieved after
he'd made up his mind
640
00:52:35,080 --> 00:52:39,640
on a difficult issue and taken
action -
641
00:52:39,640 --> 00:52:42,760
that gave him a sense of relief and
fulfilment.
642
00:52:42,760 --> 00:52:46,000
He knew, he felt in his bones,
that he had solved
643
00:52:46,000 --> 00:52:47,960
a really difficult problem.
644
00:52:51,400 --> 00:52:52,720
This is it.
645
00:52:52,720 --> 00:52:55,240
This is the end of this period of
seizing power
646
00:52:55,240 --> 00:52:57,200
and establishing power.
647
00:52:57,200 --> 00:53:01,400
Now we can move forward as one
united government, state,
648
00:53:01,400 --> 00:53:03,160
people under my command.
649
00:53:28,480 --> 00:53:31,200
Goring finally achieves his
ambition.
650
00:53:32,400 --> 00:53:34,840
As a reward for his brutality,
651
00:53:34,840 --> 00:53:38,920
Hitler promotes him and names him as
his successor.
652
00:53:40,440 --> 00:53:44,120
He will go on to oversee many of the
Nazis' worst atrocities.
653
00:53:49,400 --> 00:53:53,280
Later on, at Nuremberg, when Goring
is on trial for war crimes,
654
00:53:53,280 --> 00:53:56,400
he's asked about Rohm, "What did you
think? Why did you do it?"
655
00:53:56,400 --> 00:53:58,520
He said, "Well, he was in my way."
656
00:53:58,520 --> 00:54:00,760
For Goring, you know,
it wasn't a question
657
00:54:00,760 --> 00:54:02,560
I think he would have understood.
658
00:54:02,560 --> 00:54:04,960
You know, "Did you have a guilty
conscience afterwards?"
659
00:54:04,960 --> 00:54:06,480
"No, of course not."
660
00:54:09,040 --> 00:54:11,840
After the Night of the Long Knives,
661
00:54:11,840 --> 00:54:15,200
Hitler makes the SS a
fully autonomous organisation.
662
00:54:16,840 --> 00:54:18,480
Under Himmler's watch,
663
00:54:18,480 --> 00:54:22,280
it becomes one of the most feared
institutions in Germany,
664
00:54:22,280 --> 00:54:25,840
presiding over the systematic murder
of minorities,
665
00:54:25,840 --> 00:54:29,080
homosexuals and Jews.
666
00:54:29,080 --> 00:54:31,680
One of the keys to understanding
Himmler's personality
667
00:54:31,680 --> 00:54:36,600
and Himmler's career is by
reflecting about the word "decency".
668
00:54:37,840 --> 00:54:42,000
Himmler thought that he had always
been acting decently,
669
00:54:42,000 --> 00:54:44,480
that, in organising the Night of
Long Knives
670
00:54:44,480 --> 00:54:47,440
had been decent, that killing Jews
during the Second World War
671
00:54:47,440 --> 00:54:50,440
had been decent. This is abhorrent.
672
00:54:50,440 --> 00:54:54,560
Himmler thought that he had done the
right thing
673
00:54:54,560 --> 00:54:56,920
for the survival of the Germanic
race.
674
00:55:01,080 --> 00:55:04,000
By crushing the Stormtroopers,
675
00:55:04,000 --> 00:55:08,320
Hitler wins the support of most of
the German public,
676
00:55:08,320 --> 00:55:11,720
the army, the elites,
677
00:55:11,720 --> 00:55:13,520
and President Hindenburg.
678
00:55:18,360 --> 00:55:24,600
Hindenburg was always frightened of
instability.
679
00:55:24,600 --> 00:55:29,960
So, when action is taken in this
way, erm...
680
00:55:29,960 --> 00:55:34,160
..I suppose, I don't know,
a fit of relief or something
681
00:55:34,160 --> 00:55:38,240
and pens a letter to Hitler, saying,
basically, "Well done."
682
00:55:40,440 --> 00:55:43,080
Having won Hindenburg's approval,
683
00:55:43,080 --> 00:55:46,640
Hitler presents a new piece of
legislation
684
00:55:46,640 --> 00:55:49,920
combining the offices of President
and Chancellor
685
00:55:49,920 --> 00:55:52,760
to take effect on Hindenburg's
death.
686
00:55:56,320 --> 00:56:01,080
A day later, Hindenburg is on his
deathbed.
687
00:56:01,080 --> 00:56:03,880
When Hitler goes to pay his
respects,
688
00:56:03,880 --> 00:56:07,800
he finds Hindenburg drifting in and
out of consciousness,
689
00:56:07,800 --> 00:56:10,320
addressing him as "Your Majesty".
690
00:56:13,480 --> 00:56:19,400
I'm dubious about his ability to
make rational judgment
691
00:56:19,400 --> 00:56:21,280
as he approached his death.
692
00:56:22,960 --> 00:56:28,480
Might explain some of the very
difficult questions
693
00:56:28,480 --> 00:56:31,880
regarding his shift
694
00:56:31,880 --> 00:56:34,360
vis-a-vis Hitler and the Nazi Party.
695
00:56:40,360 --> 00:56:42,680
In his last rational moments,
696
00:56:42,680 --> 00:56:47,240
what did he think of when he thought
about Germany's future?
697
00:56:47,240 --> 00:56:49,200
Difficult to answer that one.
698
00:56:51,200 --> 00:56:55,560
He would want to vindicate his own
decisions,
699
00:56:55,560 --> 00:56:58,320
but he may be disturbed by...
700
00:56:59,600 --> 00:57:02,840
..what has happened since Hitler
took office.
701
00:57:05,440 --> 00:57:07,440
So he might have died a...
702
00:57:08,920 --> 00:57:10,600
..rather troubled man.
703
00:57:27,000 --> 00:57:32,880
And so Hitler now had nothing left
to restrain him.
704
00:57:32,880 --> 00:57:38,800
TRIUMPHANT MUSIC IS PLAYED
705
00:58:02,720 --> 00:58:05,760
CANNONS FIRE
59258
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