The Reichstag Fire - How did it help the Nazis

The Reichstag Fire and the Enabling Act - 1933

Don't forget that the Reichstag is the lower house in Parliament.

The Reichstag Fire

During the election campaign in 1933, on 27th February, the Reichstag was set on fire. A Dutch Communist, Van der Lubbe, was arrested for the crime. This allowed Hitler and the Nazis to exploit the fire for their own purposes by blaming it on the Communists.

Hitler persuaded Hindenburg (the President) to pass an emergency law restricting personal liberty. Under this law, thousands of Communist supporters were thrown into prison. However, despite increasing their share of the votes in the election, the Nazis still did not have an overall majority in the Reichstag. They were foreced to join together…