Following the Reichstag fire on February 27, 1933, the Nazi leadership and its Nationalist coalition partners exploited the fire to pass emergency legislation that abolished a number of constitutional protections and paved the way for Nazi dictatorship.
![Fire brigade arrives at the Reichstag (German parliament) building. [LCID: 70416a]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/2f779f1f-0d4f-41b5-a5f4-d13bc27ef5fe.jpg "Fire brigade arrives at the Reichstag (German parliament) building. [LCID: 70416a]")
Fire brigade arrives at the Reichstag (German parliament) building. Despite fire-fighting efforts, the building was virtually destroyed by fires set at several places in the building. Berlin, Germany, February 27, 1933.
Item View![Firemen in the Reichstag (German parliament) building after it was damaged by arson. [LCID: 70416b]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/eaf85803-7a20-4ae3-9e41-3ce6aeba82fa.jpg "Firemen in the Reichstag (German parliament) building after it was damaged by arson. [LCID: 70416b]")
Firemen in the Reichstag (German parliament) building after it was damaged by arson. Berlin, Germany, February 27, 1933.
Item View![The Berlin Fire Brigade extinguishes the Reichstag (German parliament) fire. [LCID: 78421]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/4950fd30-9136-454d-8f1d-947fbb4d6a8e.jpg "The Berlin Fire Brigade extinguishes the Reichstag (German parliament) fire. [LCID: 78421]")
The Berlin Fire Brigade extinguishes the fire at the Reichstag (German parliament). Berlin, Germany, February 27, 1933.
Item View![Adolf Hitler (hand on rail) with Hermann Goering (second to left of Hitler) and Joseph Goebbels (third to left of Hitler) at the ... [LCID: 86148]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/cfcacc39-45a5-4d94-9023-d0e6d2188d15.jpg "Adolf Hitler (hand on rail) with Hermann Goering (second to left of Hitler) and Joseph Goebbels (third to left of Hitler) at the ... [LCID: 86148]")
Adolf Hitler (hand on rail) with Hermann Göring (second to left of Hitler) and Joseph Goebbels (third to left of Hitler) at the site of the fire that damaged the Reichstag (German parliament) building. Berlin, Germany, February 1933.
Item View![Onlookers in front of the Reichstag (German parliament) building after its virtual destruction by fire. [LCID: 75102]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/e836e9d2-b664-4b8f-b8ab-129ca11c2630.jpg "Onlookers in front of the Reichstag (German parliament) building after its virtual destruction by fire. [LCID: 75102]")
Onlookers in front of the Reichstag (German parliament) building the day after it was damaged by fire. On this same day, the Nazis implemented the Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of the People and the State. It was one of a series of key decrees, legislative acts, and case law in the gradual process by which the Nazi leadership moved Germany from a democracy to a dictatorship. Berlin, Germany, February 28, 1933.
Item View![Dome of the Reichstag (German parliament) building, virtually destroyed by fire on February 27, 1933. [LCID: 78419]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/c57e2459-efff-48eb-8ebc-57def0a0ea84.jpg "Dome of the Reichstag (German parliament) building, virtually destroyed by fire on February 27, 1933. [LCID: 78419]")
Dome of the Reichstag (German parliament) building, damaged by fire on February 27, 1933. Hitler used the arson to convince President Hindenburg to declare a state of emergency, suspending constitutional safeguards. Berlin, Germany, 1933.
Item View![Ernst Thaelmann, leader of the German Communist Party, was detained during a mass arrest of Communists following the fire that virtually ... [LCID: 78531]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/3972b94c-b0de-4bf2-8ee2-e640c01d72fd.jpg "Ernst Thaelmann, leader of the German Communist Party, was detained during a mass arrest of Communists following the fire that virtually ... [LCID: 78531]")
Ernst Thaelmann, leader of the German Communist Party, was detained during a mass arrest of Communists following the fire that virtually destroyed the Reichstag (German parliament) building. Germany, date uncertain.
Item View![Identification picture of Erich Muehsam taken in the Oranienburg concentration camp. [LCID: 78970]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/91f403bd-ebc8-4257-84bb-92c40fea5e0a.jpg "Identification picture of Erich Muehsam taken in the Oranienburg concentration camp. [LCID: 78970]")
Identification picture of Erich Mühsam taken in the Oranienburg concentration camp. Mühsam, an anarchist and a pacifist, worked as an editor and writer; he was imprisoned during World War I for opposing the war. Arrested during the massive roundup of Nazi political opponents following the Reichstag fire (February 27, 1933), Mühsam was tortured to death in Oranienburg on July 11, 1934. Oranienburg, Germany, February 3, 1934.
Item ViewOn the night of February 27, 1933, an unemployed Dutch construction worker named Marinus van der Lubbe set fire to the Reichstag (German parliament) building, causing serious damage. The Nazis blamed the Communists for the fire and claimed emergency powers to crush all opposition. Bolstering Nazi claims, the police also arrested three Bulgarian members of the Communist International, who were in Germany at the time, and a leading German Communist. Despite Nazi claims, however, responsibility for the fire is unclear. The German Supreme Court found only van der Lubbe guilty. The Court acquitted the other defendants because there was insufficient evidence of their involvement. This footage shows scenes during the trial and some of the damage to the Reichstag building in Berlin.
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