Nazi Era - German Reichstag Fire 1933

On the night of February 27-28, 1933, the Reichstag in Berlin went up in flames. The alleged arsonist Marinus van der Lubbe, a Dutch communist, was arrested at the scene of the crime. On September 21, 1933, the trial of van der Lubbe and four alleged accomplices began: Ernst Torgler, the chairman of the German KPD parliamentary group in the Reichstag, and three Bulgarian communists. With the exception of van der Lubbe, all the accused were acquitted. Van der Lubbe was executed in January 1934. The NSDAP knew how to exploit the crime. With the "Reichstag Fire Decree" (decree of the Reich President for the protection of the people and the state), basic rights were suspended and the massive persecution of political opponents was made possible.