The Reichstag Fire
At a glance:
- Series: Chronology of European History
- Categories: Government and Politics, Social Issues, Reform, and Protest, Disasters
- Subcategories: Fascism, Fascists
- Curriculum: 20th & 21st Century European History, German History
- Geographical Location: Berlin
- Date: February 27, 1933
Article abstract: The Reichstag fire prompts the president of Germany to grant the Nazis emergency powers to suppress a feared Communist revolution, resulting in the arrests of Hitler’s political opponents.
Summary of Event
On the night of February 27, 1933, arsonists set fire to the German parliament building (Reichstag). The spectacular blaze sent flames shooting up through the Debating chamber and illuminated the Berlin skyline. The tense political situation in Germany turned what would ordinarily have resulted only in newspaper headlines for a few...
[The entire page is 1417 words long]