Enabling Act of 1933
A law in the concentration of Hitler’s power
23 March 1933
The Enabling Act, passed on 23 March 1933, allowed the government to make laws without parliament. It was one of the steps that changed the distribution of state power after Hitler took office.
Government powers and repression
The law followed the emergency declared after the Reichstag fire in February. That emergency allowed the police to detain political opponents. The expansion of government authority thus took place alongside police persecution.
Further concentration of power
After President Hindenburg’s death in August 1934, Hitler combined the offices of chancellor and president. The March 1933 law is therefore best understood within the gradual development of Nazi dictatorship.
Explore further
- Nazi dictatorship
Connected to the development of state power and persecution.