The Reichstag Fire

The Reichstag Fire was an arson attack on the German parliament building in Berlin on February 27, 1933. This event, which occurred just weeks after <a href="/article/adolf-hitler">Adolf Hitler</a> became Chancellor, was swiftly blamed on communists by the <a href="/article/nazi-party">Nazi Party</a>. The fire provided the Nazis with a crucial pretext to suspend civil liberties, suppress political opposition, and consolidate their power, fundamentally altering the course of German history.