On This Day… The Reichstag Fire Decree
Written by: George Chittenden : 07 Jul 2019
It was on this day, 28th February, back in 1933 when German President Paul von Hindenburg issued a document that would have devastating effects in the years that followed. That document was the Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State, which is commonly known as the Reichstag Fire Decree and it suspended important provisions of the German constitution, especially those safeguarding individual rights and due process of law. The decree permitted the restriction of the right to assembly, freedom of speech, freedom of the press and it removed all restraints on police investigations.
It allowed Hitler to arrest and incarcerate political opponents without specific charge, dissolve political organisations, and suppress publications not considered "friendly" to the Nazi cause. Bottom line it allowed the establishment of a one-party Nazi state in Germany. Only weeks earlier on Jan 30th Hitler had been appointed Chancellor of Germany when he’d been invited by President von Hindenburg, who was eighty-seven at the time, to lead a coalition government. Then disaster struck on Feb 27th when a fire broke out in the Reichstag building, home of the German parliament in Berlin.
President Paul von Hindenburg and Adolf Hitler
While the exact circumstances of the fire remain unclear to this day, we do know that Hitler and his supporters quickly capitalised on the fire as a means by which to speed their consolidation of power. Hitler almost immediately blamed the Communist Party of Germany and advised President Paul von Hindenburg to issue the Reichstag Fire Decree in immediate response to the fire.
Search
By Era
To 5000 BCE 5000 - 2000 BCE 2000 BCE - 0 0 - 400 CE 400 - 800 CE 800 - 1100 CE 1100 - 1500 CE 1500 - 1700 CE 18th Century 19th Century 1900's 1910's 1920's 1930's 1940's 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980's 1990's 2000's 2010'sBy Topic
Royal British Roman North American Egyptian Nautical European Social WW1 Military Viking Asian African Australian South American Political Celebrity WW2 Religion
We promote history by...
offering free articles and videos, providing free history experiences for children in schools and on weekends. Next year we will be visiting hospitals and providing unforgettable experiences to children who really need it and give them a chance to forget their condition, their treatment and their reality.
Please join others who support our free projects by giving a small donation. We can only continue our great work with your help.
