This article from Realclearhistory.com details the events of “The Night of the Long Knives,” that took place June 30-July 2, 1934,  whereby Hitler eliminated the main threat to his power by killing as many as 1,000 individuals.Some of the dead were members of the SA, a military organization, but many were individuals who had crossed the Nazis at some point, had information that could be embarassing, while at least one simply had the wrong name.  
This is the sort of political action that has been a feature of socialist organizations like the Nazis. It is scary.

http://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/triumph/tr-roehm.htm