Sturmabteilung

Sturmabteilung, commonly abbreviated SA and nicknamed the Brownshirts, was the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party (NSDAP). Founded in 1921, it served as a street-level force that protected party meetings, disrupted opposition, and helped create a climate of intimidation that aided the party’s rise to power in the early 1930s.

Organization and functions: The SA consisted of local units known as Stürme and larger formations that operated under party control. Members wore brown uniforms and used paramilitary training, crowd control, and street violence to enforce party discipline, protect leaders, and police rallies and demonstrations across Germany.

Role in rise to power: Through violent street actions, intimidation of political opponents, and disruption of opposition campaigns, the SA helped the Nazi movement gain influence during the collapse of the Weimar Republic and contributed to the party’s electoral gains and seizure of power.

Decline and purge: In June 1934, the Night of the Long Knives saw the elimination of several SA leaders, including Ernst Röhm, and marked a turning point in German power politics, as the SS and state security agencies gained primacy over the SA.

Later status and legacy: After the purge, the SA remained as a mass organization but with reduced authority, increasingly subordinate to the SS and the state. It was formally confined to limited roles within the Nazi state and was disbanded and outlawed after World War II.