The Reichstag fire of 27 February 1933 was a possible arson attack on the German parliament building. The fire was blamed on a communist anarchist Marinus van der Lubbe (1909-1934), but it may have been the work of the Nazi party's paramilitary group the Sturmabteilung (SA) to discredit the left-wing parties before the forthcoming general election.
More about: Reichstag FireDefinition
Timeline
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27 Feb 1933The Reichstag Fire, likely caused by either a communist anarchist or members of the Strumabteilung (SA), the paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party.
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28 Feb 1933Adolf Hitler passes the Reichstag Decree which declares martial law and gives great new policing powers to the state.
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5 Mar 1933The Nazi party (NSDAP) wins 44% of the seats in Germany's national elections.
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23 Mar 1933The Enabling Act is passed which allows Adolf Hitler to by-pass the German parliament.