Reichstag Fire
On the evening of 27 February 1933, the German parliament building in Berlin was set ablaze. A young Dutch communist, Marinus van der Lubbe, was caught at the scene and confessed, but historians continue to debate whether the Nazis organised or exploited the fire. What is beyond dispute is the speed and ruthlessness with which Hitler used it: within 24 hours, President Hindenburg signed the Reichstag Fire Decree suspending the civil liberties provisions of the Weimar constitution — freedom of press, assembly, and speech were abolished and the state gained power to search homes and detain citizens without charge. Thousands of communists, socialists, and political opponents were arrested in the following days. The decree, formally titled the 'Decree for the Protection of the People and State', remained in force until 1945 and provided the permanent legal foundation for the Nazi police state.
- Year: 1933 CE
- Category: Political
