Reichstag fire facts for kids
Firefighters struggle to extinguish the fire.
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| Date | 27 February 1933 |
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| Location | Reichstag building, Berlin, Germany |
| Participants | Marinus van der Lubbe |
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The Reichstag fire (German: Der Reichstagsbrand) was a big fire that happened at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, on February 27, 1933. The Reichstag building was where the German Parliament met. This event was very important in the rise of Nazi Germany.
Contents
What Happened During the Fire?
When the fire started, a fire station in Berlin was called. By the time police and firefighters arrived, most of the building was already burning. Inside the building, a man named Marinus van der Lubbe was found. He was from the Netherlands and was a communist.
The Nazis quickly used this fire to claim that communists were planning to overthrow the German government. Van der Lubbe and four other communist leaders were arrested soon after the fire.
How the Fire Changed Germany
Adolf Hitler had become the Chancellor of Germany just four weeks before the fire. He quickly asked President Paul von Hindenburg to pass an emergency law. This law would allow the government to stop many basic freedoms and rights. Hitler said this was needed to fight against the "confrontation of the Communist Party of Germany."
Because of the fire, the Enabling Act of 1933 was passed. This law gave Hitler much more power, making him a dictator. People in Germany lost many of their freedoms. Many communists were arrested, including all the Communist Party members who were part of the Parliament. This made the Nazis the largest group in Parliament. Later elections gave Hitler even more power.
Who Started the Fire?
Even today, historians are not completely sure who planned the Reichstag fire or who actually started it. It is still a topic that people research and discuss.
Images for kids
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The window through which Marinus van der Lubbe supposedly entered the building
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Memorial at the Südfriedhof in Leipzig
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Göring (first row, far left) at the Nuremberg trials
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Willi Münzenberg
See also
In Spanish: Incendio del Reichstag para niños
