Ernst Röhm

Lore & Background

Using his military connections, he helped build up paramilitary groups, one of which became the SA.

Reader's Guide

Ernst Röhm's significance lies in his role as the co-founder and leader of the SA, which was instrumental in the Nazi Party's rise to power through political violence and intimidation. However, his calls for a 'second revolution' focused on socialist economic reforms and his desire to absorb the Reichswehr into the SA threatened the traditional elites and the military establishment. This led Hitler to see him as a rival and a liability. His death marked the end of the SA's independent power and solidified Hitler's control over the Nazi Party and the German state.

Did You Know?

• Ernst Röhm was wounded three times during the First World War and received the Iron Cross First Class.
• He took part in Hitler's failed Beer Hall Putsch in 1923 and received a suspended prison sentence.
• Röhm broke with Hitler in 1925 over the future direction of the Nazi Party and emigrated to Bolivia.
• He served as an advisor to the Bolivian Army after emigrating from Germany.
• Röhm was assassinated by the SS during the Night of the Long Knives in 1934.