Ben Wilson

And an enabling act was essentially a change to his powers.

It was going to give Hitler powers to carry out everything else that he wanted to do.

It was going to allow him to suspend various political parties.

And it was unclear which of those is definitely going to be far left political parties.

It would turn out to be the SPD, the mainstream center left political party as well.

And so the SPD's leader, Otto Wells, gives a brave final speech defending parliamentary democracy and saying that we cannot pass this enabling act.

And Hitler delivers a rebuke to the SPD and to Otto Wells personally.

He stands up.

He says, you are no longer needed.

Do not delude yourselves about that either.

Your star is not rising.

It has finally set.

OK, now that was his message to the leaders of the SPD, to the politicians.

He said, it's over for you.

You're going to get outlawed.

You're going to get banned.

You have no future in Germany whatsoever.

We are going to repress you.

You're done.

Now, at the same time, it's a big party and lots of Germans are members of it.