Reichstag Burned Down, Hitler Begins His Rise

Communists were blamed for the fire and their persecution started when Hitler was given greater authorisations.

German Nazis set the Parliament building on fire on February 27, 1933 in Berlin, marking the start of Adolf Hitler`s rise to power, which later led to World War II and the massacre of six million Jews.

Nazis blamed the communists for the fire they started, which started the persecution of leftists. The same night, 4,000 people were arrested, including communist officials and leaders.

The Nazis acted fast; the next day, they passed the Provision on the protection of the people and the nation, which revoked some of the fundamental human rights and gradually banned political parties in Germany. President Hindenburg gave Hitler emergency authorisations and the communist propaganda was restricted. Rumours were started that the Communist Party was planning a coup d`etat.

This favoured the Nazis and their allies, who had a lot of support from the people at the upcoming Reichstag elections in March 1933. Extreme right-wing won 52 percent of the votes and a majority in the Parliament.

After the elections, Hitler`s SS troops opened the Dachau concentration camp on March 20 and the number of political prisoners climbed to 27,000 by July the same year.