Reichstag fire

The Reichstag fire was an arson attack on the building that housed the German parliament in Berlin, just weeks after Adolf Hitler had become chancellor. A young Dutch communist, Marinus van der Lubbe, was found inside and arrested, and the Nazi leaders blamed a communist plot. The next day President Hindenburg signed the Reichstag Fire Decree, which suspended civil liberties such as freedom of speech and the press, and allowed arrests without trial, giving the regime a legal basis to persecute opponents. Historians still debate whether van der Lubbe acted alone, as many believe, or whether the Nazis were involved. The fire helped Hitler consolidate dictatorial power, and the Enabling Act followed in March.

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