I take it you know how the political situation in Germany changed through 1933 and 1934. If you don't, I will explain it to you as simply as I can. On January 30th 1933, Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. Throughout that year he began introducing censorship and a few different laws limiting civil rights, also banning communists and other political parties. However the most important political event that year---in my perspective---was when he passed 'the enabling act' making him a dictator for the next four years.
A while later on the 2nd of August 1934 a certain Hitler became both president and chancellor of Germany, making him the absolute head of the country:
The führer
***
Basically throughout the 20s until 1934, he'd managed to climb his way up to power by means of politics and quite a lot of violence. The only display of this violence that Heidi heard about was what would later be called 'the night of long knives'. On july 3rd 1934 (just a day after the death of their late president Hindenburg) Heidi couldn't sleep, as the older members of her family seemed to be shouting about something downstairs.
"It's mass murder! It's mass murder, papa!" Wilma uttered, pacing around the living room like a maniac. "It's mass murder whether they're politicians or not!"
Trudy Alfred and Walter sat on the couch. Alfred rubbed his wrinkled forehead in despair, Trudy couldn't wrap her head around the fact her daughter had gotten so passionate about politics at nearly midnight, and Walter watched her with wide eyes as he listened.
"At least seventy people were killed! Without court, without the law, without any form of trial. That is plain homicide if I ever saw one!"
The room went silent for a while, Heidi crept out of her bed and tiptoed toward the top of the stairs, quiet as a mouse.
"By the sound of it they were all conspiring against our chancellor-" Walter interjected but Wilma stopped him right then and there.
"Whether that is true or not there is no excuse to kill them all without any form of trial! How many times do I have to repeat myself?"
Walter sighed and leaned back into the sofa. He shot a quick glance at his father, Alfred only shrugged.
"Where did you get those numbers Wilma?" Trudy suddenly asked.
"Herr Beck's radio." She answered, something in her eyes told me she hoped they wouldn't press their questions further. Trudy could only nod. Heidi was still listening, she wondered if all those people had truly been killed, or if Wilma was somehow wrong. She hoped she was with every bone in her body. My human had no idea this would become an oddly normal thing:
Counting the dead, listening to descriptions of massacres and hearing Wilma's protesting voice throughout the living room.
The second time Heidi stood on top of the stairs listening to conversations her parents wouldn't have wanted her to hear, was on 3rd of August, just a day after the discussed event. It seemed to be a sort of pattern. A man had died and because of this another one had taken his place, that's all she truly understood. The dead man was their now late president Hindenburg, and the man who had taken his place was Adolf Hitler.
She didn't know that name too well, but she would very soon, far too well. She also had no idea what this implied. She didn't know Germany had drifted into a dictatorship that the country appeared to allow and that this was the beginning of the end for far too many families across Europe including her own.