2. In today’s class, I am learning to:
• Describe events at the Reichstag Fire
The Reichstag Fire
3. In March 1933 elections were to be held to the
Reichstag. However one week before the elections (27
February), the Reichstag was burned to the ground.
The Reichstag Fire
4. The Reichstag Fire
At the end of January 1933,
Hitler was appointed as
Chancellor of Germany.
However he was the head of
a coalition government and
did not have the full power
that he wanted.
Hitler persuaded the
President to hold new
elections to the Reichstag.
5. The Reichstag Fire
The Communists caused real
fears for the Nazis.
In the November 1932
Reichstag election, Nazi
support had fallen whilst the
Communists had increased
their votes.
As soon as Hitler became
Chancellor, the Nazis plotted
to deal with this threat.
6. The Reichstag Fire
On 27 February 1933, at
9pm, a fire station in Berlin
received an alarm call saying
the Reichstag was on fire.
It was a huge fire and it
destroyed most of the
building.
By 1130pm the Berlin fire
department had mostly
managed to end the fire.
7. The Reichstag Fire
The building completely
destroyed the Reichstag.
A Dutch Communist named
Marinus van der Lubbe was
found at the scene. He had
matches and firelighters
with him.
Van Der Lubbe was arrested.
He was later put on trial and
beheaded for the crime.
8. The Reichstag Fire
Hitler was having dinner at
Joseph Goebbels’ house.
When Goebbels was first
phoned and told, he
believed it was a hoax and
hung up.
Eventually Hitler and
Goebbels went to the
Reichstag and were told the
fire was a Communist plot.
9. The Reichstag Fire
Hitler claimed it was the
start of a violent Communist
revolution, and promised
that he would save
Germany.
He said “Every Communist
official will be shot where
he is found”.
4000 Communists were
arrested that night.
10. The Reichstag Fire
After the fire, President
Hindenburg used Article 48
to introduce the Reichstag
Fire Decree.
This law gave Hitler strong
powers, including to arrest
political opponents and
shutdown or censor
newspapers that were
critical of his government.
11. The Reichstag Fire
The Nazis also used
propaganda to create fear
about a potential
Communist takeover.
This resulted in the Nazis
gaining more votes in the
Reichstag election, 44% in
total (but still short of a
majority), forcing them to
work with other parties.
