What happened
Hitler ordered the killing of Ernst Rohm and other perceived threats inside and outside the Nazi movement in a coordinated purge that targeted SA leaders, conservative rivals, and other enemies.
Why it matters
The purge was a decisive moment in the internal consolidation of Nazi rule. It reassured the army, eliminated competing centers of power, and made clear that Hitler's regime would use murder as an instrument of statecraft.
Notes
This is the clearest violence-of-consolidation event in Hitler's own rise.