What actions did Hitler take to solidify his control over the German government?

When
Hitler became German Chancellor in 1933, the Nazis were still a minority party in the coalition
government they'd formed with conservatives. Conservative members of the cabinet foolishly
believed that they could use their superior numbers to tame Hitler and turn him into a
respectable politician. But Hitler had no intention of being controlled by them, or anyone else.
He had radical plans for Germany and intended to put them into effect.

He was
helped in this regard by the fact that the Interior Ministry, the government department in
charge of law enforcement, was under the control of one of his Nazi colleagues, Hermann G¶ring.
With such a powerful instrument in their hands, the Nazis set about using the police power to
strengthen their grip on the government and crush dissent, especially on the Left.

After a Dutch Communist allegedly set fire to the Reichstag building, Hitler seized the
opportunity to acquire sweeping powers that suspended most civil rights and allowed the
government to arrest their political opponents. It was in this growingof repression that what
turned out to be the last ever Reichstag elections took place.

Although the
Nazis again failed to win a majority of votes, they had already taken the precaution of banning
the German Communist Party, meaning that their newly-elected deputies were unable to take their
seats in the Reichstag. This made it easier for Hitler and the Nazis to intimidate the remaining
deputies into voting for the Enabling Act, which effectively established a dictatorship in
Germany by giving Hitler the right to make laws without the Reichstag.