The Significance Of The Reichstag Fire

In this essay, I will demonstrate the significance of the Reichstag fire for Germany. The Nazi Party claimed that the fire that destroyed Berlin's Reichstag on February 27, 1933, marked the beginning of a nationwide communist revolt. Due to its important role in the loss of German citizens' civil liberties and the creation of a near-dictatorial system within the Weimar Republic, the Reichstag Fire, as it was known, can be seen as one of the most important events in the formation of Nazi Germany and the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler. The significance of the fire is found in the decrees and legislation that were established in response to it, which served as a motivation the dominance that the Nazi Party would retain during the 1930s. There is

The Reichstag fire was a significant event in history for several reasons, such as its ability to help the Nazi leadership (Adolf Hitler) convince President Paul von Hindenburg to arrest communists, who were falsely blamed for the Reichstag fire. This act, commonly referred to as the Reichstag Fire Decree, was signed off by President Hindenburg and allowed the Nazi leadership to abolish several constitutional protections and paved the way for Adolf Hitler's dictatorship. The American Holocaust Museum reported that over three thousand

Following the fire, the Nazis used the incident as an excuse to suspend civil liberties such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the right to assemble. This was because Adolf Hitler was able to convince President Hindenburg to create the Reichstag Decree and later the Enabling Act. This allowed the Nazis to consolidate their power and begin their oppressive regime. These civil liberties being taken away meant that Adolf Hitler had control over every German citizen. ‘The Holocaust Explained’ was an article written by specialists that said that the police, who were now the SS, were a lot harsher on communists and even arrested them with no cause. This was significant because it meant that Adolf Hitler and the nazi party were in complete control of Germany and treated everyone else like they were below them, this helped them consolidate power and increase fear within Germany. BBC’s article about the Reichstag fire also states that Hitler was very vocal about how the communists were allegedly planning to overthrow the government and ‘destroy’ Germany and what it stood for. Adolf Hitler at the time was a well-respected man among most and many viewed him as the man that was going to save Germany, so they believed him. The Nazis terrorizing the communists' reputation created a fear of the communists which is what Adolf Hitler and the Nazis wanted. This also was quite significant as