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During the years 1933-4 Hitler used both legal and violent means of power to consolidate his power, and used the economic collapse of 1931 as an opportunity to start to do so.

The rise in unemployment, and the political confusion that followed during the next few years allowed the Nazi propaganda tool to work on the minds of the German people. The Nazi party offered the people of Germany what they wanted. Employment for all, strong leadership, they were anti-communists, traditional values were stressed in their ideas good roles for the youth of germany, they wanted to unite germany once more. Hindenburg did not want hitler in any role in the government. He said it would be a mistake to give him power. However when the Nazis won the most seats in 1933 he had to make him chancellor, something he did not want to do. The Reichstag fire was another turning point. Hitler using it to take out the only other opposition, the communists. He blamed tem, and people now wanted the Nazi party in power. When parliament met after the Reichstag was built hitler took the chance to have his Enabling act passed. The Enabling act in 1933/4 gave him complete control and power. It also made everything he did legal. He did not have to report to parliament for four years. Hitler wanted to co-ordinate (gleichschaltung) all aspects of german political and social life under Nazi control. E.g. one party state, no trade unions and local government came under Nazi policies.
The night of the long knives was a major turning point in Hitler’s consolidation of power. The two million strong SA storm troopers, were now seen as a potential threat to hitler. Their leader, Ernst Rohm wanted a more important role in Hitler’s new regime. He wanted to control the SS and the army. He wanted to merge them and rule over them. This sent alarm bells ringing and anger among the SS and the army. Hitler now viewed Rohm as a threat to his new found power and he wanted a...