Rise and Fall Ch. 10: Hitler Purges Generals and Diplomats
As we begin week six of our reading group, I discuss the tenth chapter of "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich"—a short chapter on the Fuhrer's further consolidation of power
Welcome to week six of our reading group of William L. Shirer’s The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich!
I had a chance to have lunch with one of our readers yesterday. I appreciated his comments and questions. Of course, he was not alone in wanting to jump into comparisons of President Trump to Adolf Hitler—everyone seems to want to hash out the various similarities and differences.
Just a friendly reminder: here in this reading group, we’re just trying to get down the historical details. I’m sure many comparisons will inevitably suggest themselves. However, there will be plenty of time for full comparisons and analogies later on. Currently, I am trying to line up an interview with the editor of the 2024 collection Did it Happen Here? Perspectives on Fascism and America.
So stay tuned for that!
The reading this week is a lot heavier than last week, especially chapter 12. So make sure to budget a little extra time for the reading or listening.
Week 6 Reading (Feb 24-Mar 2, 2025)
Chapter 11: Anchluss: The Rape of Austria
Chapter 12: The Road to Munich
A reminder that the full reading list as well as reading options (online, audio, and dead tree) can all be found in this post. If you have missed any chapter recaps or other topical posts, the full list can be found at the bottom of the post.
If you’re struggling to keep up, don’t leave us! We’d still love for you to check in when you can as time permits.
In the last chapter, Shirer quickly ran through key events in Nazi foreign policy in the mid-1930s. The major event was when Hitler marched troops into the Rhineland in violation of the Locarno treaties. The Western powers did nothing to stop him, which only emboldened Hitler. Shirer then ended the chapter by discussing a crucial meeting that took place in November 1937, in which Hitler told his generals to prepare for a two-front war.
At only 13 pages, Chapter 10 is the shortest chapter in the entire book. It covers only a few key events in early 1938, where Hitler further consolidates his power.
You will remember that in the political realm, Hitler had consolidated Nazi power by using extralegal violence through the S.A. and S.S., banning other parties, and using propaganda. Then in the Night of the Long Knives, he ended talk of a “second revolution” by executing the radical S.A. leadership, and brought the Army fully into his camp. He waited out President Hindenburg’s death and united the office of the President with his own, eliminating one position of rival power.
However, there were still a number of individuals who had risen to power thanks to Hindenburg or other old school conservatives in positions of power in the Third Reich. In this chapter, Shirer charts how they also were purged, generating a situation in which there were no military, diplomatic, or economic leaders whose power did not derive from the Fuhrer himself. As a consequence, all loyalty was owed to Hitler alone.
President of the Central Bank (Reichsbank) from 1933 to 1939, Hjalmar Schacht was the author of Nazi Germany’s economic miracle. A longtime critic of the Versailles Treaty’s economic settlement, Schacht had been a player since the Weimar Republic and had actually helped Hitler rise to power. He was a fan of Hitler’s in many ways, but he was not strictly beholden to him. Shirer quotes the French Ambassador to the effect that Schacht entertained thoughts of leading Germany himself. He also had severe doubts about the economic consequences of going to war again. In short, he was not someone that Hitler could trust. Since he got a little too big for his britches, Goering dismissed him.
Blomberg and Fritsch were generals who also dated from the older era. Blomberg’s case reveals an interesting cleavage on the German right. He married his secretary Erna Gruhn, who was a commoner. This would have been unacceptable to the old officer corps in aristocratic times (that is only a couple decades earlier). However, the Third Reich was what we might call “progressive” when it came to morals. For the Nazis, it was absolutely fine for a top general to marry a commoner.
What was not acceptable was that Gruhn had a criminal record as a prostitute and pornographic model. When Blomberg was informed by a rival general, he offered to divorce his wife on the spot. However, they wanted him to resign and also potentially kill himself. That, however, was a bridge too far. Blomberg stayed alive, survived the war out of the limelight, and ultimately became a witness at the Nuremberg trials.
The unmarried General Fritsch, for his part, was accused of being a homosexual. He was essentially demoted but never abandoned the Nazis or their program, ultimately dying in Poland right after the war started.
Hitler, who was already Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces because of his usurpation of the role of President, then named himself Commander-in-Chief. He gave General Keitel, a “toady” according to Shirer, the position Chief of the High Command of the Armed Forces. At the same time, 16 other generals were removed and 44 other senior officers who seemed less than enthusiastic about Nazi foreign policy were transferred.
On the diplomatic front, Neurath was pushed out of his senior diplomatic position and replaced with Ribbentrop, a close Hitler loyalist. As such Hitler effectively consolidated all military, diplomatic, and economic power in his own hands.
From here on out, the story is about what Hitler does with this absolute control.
Happy reading this week! Let me know if you have any comments or questions.
Chapter Recaps
Topical Posts
Podcast ep. 1: The Man, The Myth: Hitler in American Culture
The Problems with the German Character Explanation of the Nazis
Podcast ep. 2: Why are Dictators (and Techno-monarchs) Appealing?
Podcast ep. 3: Interview with a 20th Century War Correspondent: Jon Randal
If You’ve Fallen Behind on the Reading, This Post is For You