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How Significant Was the Reichstag Fire?

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How Significant was the Reichstag Fire?

On the night of the 27th of February, 1933, the Reichstag building in Berlin burned down in an act declared by the Nazi Party to be the inception of a widespread communist uprising. The Reichstag Fire, as it was called, can be observed as one of the most significant events in the formation of Nazi Germany through its pivotal role in the reduction of civil liberties of Germany’s citizens and the emergence of a near dictatorial regime within the Weimar Republic. The significance of the fire lies in its role as a catalyst towards effecting the power that the Nazi Party would hold throughout the 1930’s as a result of the various decrees and laws passed in response to it. There is little doubt that the party would have come to similar power with time, but by utilising the fire as part of a communist plot to overthrow the German government, Adolf Hitler created a political and social environment susceptible to his control. The direct consequences of the fire were great, both in terms of political gain and the restriction of rights for the Nazi party’s adversaries, which at that point was predominantly the communist community. These greater holds on power were provided chiefly through the instigation of the Reichstag Decree and the Enabling Act along with the utilisation of political alliances between the police force and the Nazi Party.

To understand the resounding effect of the fire, the general political environment in Germany before the fire must be examined. On the 30th of January, 1933 Adolf Hitler was appointed as chancellor of Germany by President Paul von Hindenburg. In this new position of power, Hitler appointed Herman Goering as the new Minister of the Interior for Prussia, which effectively gave the Nazi Party a powerful influence over police actions and let them utilise its power in the future as well as providing

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