Reichstag fire
February 27, 1933
A young Dutch communist was caught in the burning German parliament building with matches and firelighters. Whether he acted alone remains disputed, but Hitler knew a gift when he saw one. Emergency decrees the next morning suspended civil liberties. Within weeks the Nazis had outlawed every party but their own.
In context
Also in 1933 (5 other events on record)
- Hitler becomes Chancellor · Europe · Politics
- Dachau opens · Europe · Politics
- FDR's first inaugural · North America · Politics
- Dust Bowl winds rise · North America · Disaster
- Twenty-first Amendment repeals Prohibition · North America · Politics
Before and after in Europe
Before and after in Politics
Era
Modern Era (1901–2000), one of 590 events from that era on Saeculum.
Sources