The Reichstag Fire, a significant event in German history, has received relatively little attention despite its far-reaching consequences. This is not surprising, as the narrative of the Hitler regime is often told in a way that downplays the significance of this event.
Hitler had been Chancellor of Germany since January 30, 1933, but the true nature of his power became clear only after the Reichstag Fire and the subsequent events. Today, we are accustomed to terrorist attacks and the Weimar Republic was no exception.
On the night of February 27 to 28, the Reichstag building was set on fire. Just a few days earlier, Hermann Göring had taken over 50,000 members of the SA and SS and incorporated them into the police force. Starting on February 28, the terror began, with a focus on targeting Communist Party members and officials, who were accused of arson and subsequently arrested or murdered. The phrase “shot while trying to escape” was frequently used.
The Reich President’s decree, issued on February 28, provided a legal framework for the measures taken. The decree allowed for restrictions on personal freedom, freedom of expression and the press, as well as the right to assembly and association and the seizure of private property, all in the name of “combating communist state-endangering acts of violence.”
The Constitution of the Weimar Republic had clearer fundamental rights, but the twelve years of its existence were marked by emergency decrees and emergency law, creating a seesaw of greater freedom and its complete disappearance. Already, on February 5, a decree by the Reich President had been issued, restricting the right to assembly and the press, a trend that would continue.
The trial of the Reichstag Fire, which began with great fanfare and international press coverage, ultimately collapsed due to a lack of evidence. However, it served to legitimize the Nazi regime in the eyes of the international community. Georgi Dimitrov, one of the defendants, managed to turn the tables on the prosecution and the verdict effectively exonerated the accused.
Marinus van der Lubbe, the man accused of setting the fire, was likely not the sole perpetrator. Before the fire, a directive was issued to police authorities, ordering them to prepare lists of important Communist Party members and trade union leaders by February 26, effectively making them available for arrest on February 28, the day of the fire.
The author of this article suggests that this indicates a premeditated plan and the lack of investigation into the fire’s origins is a testament to the Nazi regime’s manipulation of the truth.
The events surrounding the Reichstag Fire are largely absent from the official narrative of the Hitler regime and even the date of the fire is often misremembered. The author attributes this to the fact that the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the bourgeois parties of the Weimar Republic all had a role in enabling the Nazi regime’s rise to power. The SPD, in particular, had the opportunity to resist the Nazi regime but chose not to, instead opting for cooperation and appeasement.