Example research essay topic: Waffen Ss Third Reich - 1,318 words

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Note: This Essay also uses additional sources which are not necessarily required to understand this essay. Using the evidence of Sources 1, 2 and 3 and your own knowledge, what do you consider explains the growth of Himmler's power in the years 1933 - 39 With Himmler's appointment to Head of the SS, in order to explain the growth of Himmler's power, we have to ask; 'How did the SS become so powerful?' , because essentially the more the SS grew, the more powerful Himmler became. The purging of the SA on the 'Night of Long Knives' and other decrees and acts that the SS used to their advantage and Himmler's personality and characteristics are important factors to look at when answering the question. At the end of WWI, bitter at Germany's defeat, Himmler joined a nationalist paramilitary group and participated in the Munich Putsch. For the first couple of years he wasn't very active but in 1925 became more active as he was appointed head of the SS; Hitler's personal bodyguard and a part of the SA.

It was the SS that catapulted Himmler to the top of the Nazi political ladder. Over the next four years Himmler worked on increasing the membership of the SS and successfully did so, increasing the number of members from 280 to 50, 000 by 1933. It is important to note that the tension between the Army and Hitler was always strong even though the former supported the rebuilding of the army and the occupation of the Rhineland. What's more, the SA hadn't always agreed with Hitler and had tried on numerous occasions to rebel against him, for example in March 1931 when, the then-leader of the SA, Walther Scenes and some of his members refused to obey the Law.

With that in mind, in addition to the fact that the SS used to be Hitler's personal bodyguard, the latter's trust in the SS would logically be greater than that of the Army and the SA. Thus, by increasing the SS and making it more of a recognised and important organisation in the Nazi state, Himmler was increasing his own power as well as Hitler's trust. Over the next few years Hitler's trust in Himmler played a very important part in his rise to power. The next move Himmler made was to get into the political scene. Before Hitler's appointment into the office of Reich's Chancellor in 1933 the SS was merely an extension from Hitler's personal bodyguard that it used to be, with no real power or influence. Essentially they were just a gang of thugs who caused a lot of trouble around the country, which were mainly attacks on the Jews.

After Hitler's appointment as Chancellor the SS acted as back-up police and used the 'Emergency Power Decree' of February 1933 to take suspects into 'protective custody' which established them as a legitimate police force. However, in order for the SS, to be the most influential and powerful police establishment in Nazi Germany, Himmler realised that the SA had to be dealt with. With this in mind, Himmler masterminded the 'Night of the Long Knives' which took place on the 30 th of June 1934 during which over 400 people were murdered, including Re and the main leaders of the SA. After this the SS emerged as the chief police force of the Nazi Party. The very next day, Himmler's title of Reichsfhrer-SS became an actual rank and he was appointed to the position while the SS became an independent organization of the Nazi Party.

Himmler's title of Reichsfhrer-SS was very important in his power and influence, because as source 1 clearly states: 'It was above all because Himmler was directly responsible to the Fhrer in his capacity as Reich S. S. Leader [... ] that he could easily escape from the simultaneous responsibility to the Reich Minister of the Interior, or even indeed reverse this relationship. '. Due to the fact that he didn't have to go to Frick (Chief of Staff of the S. A. ) to get anything approved, which would have taken a long time to work it's way up the jungle to Hitler, Himmler could make decisions and put them into action at an almost instantaneous rate. The saying 'Access is power' is very appropriate in this context, because fundamentally Himmler's access to Hitler was essential.

Lastly, when looking at the SS as a police force, Hitler's decree of 17 June 1936 'to unify the control of Police duties in the Reich' (Source 1), established Himmler as one of the most powerful people in the Third Reich. With the creation of the division 'Waffen-SS' the SS became involved in Military matters, as the 'Waffen-SS' was a military division. The Death's Head Formations (SS-Totenkopfverbnde) controlled and administered the concentration and extermination camps, playing a big role in the effort to create the racially pure 'Volksgemeinschaft'. Furthermore, with the weakening of the Army through the purging of major generals, Blomberg and Fritsch after the formers expressed their doubts about the direction of Hitler's foreign policy, and the fact as German troops gained control over more and more areas of Europe, the power of the SS was inevitably enhanced. The sheer magnitude of just the SS's military division is exemplified by the fact that by 1945 the Waffen-SS had increased its 3 divisions, in 1939, to 35, rivalling those of the army. With that in mind, since the SS was independent from the Nazi party, Himmler could have easily been the number one threat to the Nazi regime, just as the army had been in 1933.

The SS even established a vast economic empire; by the end of the war the SS had a massive commercial combine of over 150 firms, which manufactured textiles, armaments and household goods. Although the SS was infamously known for its brutal police force, with the creation of the Waffen-SS division and its vast economic empire it gradually became the key interest group in the Third Reich. Some historians have even gone as far as describing the SS as a 'State within a state'. Nevertheless, however important all the other factors were in helping Himmler reach the status he had by 1939, his personality, character and charm took him a long way, as both sources 2 and 3 show. Himmler's hard work and determination inspired others to do the same, and above all it made people respect him; '[... ] the painstaking hours of work that Himmler put in and demanded from his subordinates inspired respect.

But Himmler also exerted charm; there are too many accounts of his seemingly, genuine concern for his people and their families to doubt this. ' (Source 3). He was ruthless and cunning, but was able to make even the most atrocious things understandable and acceptable with his charm and intelligence as shown in source 2; a passage in which Himmler is talking about the recent 'cleansing' of the SA: 'To have to shoot one's own comrades, with whom one had stood side by side for eight or ten years in the struggle for an ideal, and who then failed, is the bitterest thing that can happen to a man. ' Himmler's success was brought about by many different factors. His personality was very important in winning people over and gaining respect and it was because of this that inspired people to work / work harder for him and in turn increase the size and influence of the SS. The fact that the SS was involved in virtually all the key areas in Nazi Germany; Policing and security, Military, Economic, and Industry demonstrates that the SS was a key player in, and vital to, the Third Reich.

However, had it not been for Himmler's direct responsibility and access to Hitler, Himmler would have never been able to became so powerful and as fast as he had been.

Research essay sample on Waffen Ss Third Reich