<P> The Enabling Act ( German : Ermächtigungsgesetz ) was a 1933 Weimar Constitution amendment that gave the German Cabinet -- in effect , Chancellor Adolf Hitler -- the power to enact laws without the involvement of the Reichstag . It passed in both the Reichstag and Reichsrat on 24 March 1933 , and was signed by President Paul von Hindenburg later that day . The act stated that it was to last four years unless renewed by the Reichstag , which occurred twice . The Enabling Act gave Hitler plenary powers . It followed on the heels of the Reichstag Fire Decree , which abolished most civil liberties and transferred state powers to the Reich government . The combined effect of the two laws was to transform Hitler 's government into a legal dictatorship . </P>
what was the purpose of the enabling act
gave the German Cabinet -- in effect , Chancellor Adolf Hitler -- the power to enact laws without the involvement of the Reichstag