Reichstag Fire Decree

E43770
constitutional decree emergency decree historical event legal instrument

The Reichstag Fire Decree was an emergency order issued by President Paul von Hindenburg in 1933 that suspended key civil liberties in Germany and enabled the Nazi regime’s subsequent dictatorship.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (4)

Surface form Occurrences
28 February 1933 Reichstag Fire Decree 1
Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State 1
Ermächtigungsgesetz 1

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf constitutional decree ⓘ
emergency decree ⓘ
historical event ⓘ
legal instrument ⓘ
allowedMeasure arbitrary arrest ⓘ
censorship of publications ⓘ
confiscation of property ⓘ
house searches without warrants ⓘ
preventive detention without trial ⓘ
suppression of political organizations ⓘ
alsoKnownAs Reichstag Fire Decree ⓘ
surface form: Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State

Reichstag Fire Decree ⓘ
surface form: Reichstag Fire Decree of 28 February 1933
country Germany ⓘ
dateEnacted 1933-02-28 ⓘ
dateSigned 1933-02-28 ⓘ
follows Reichstag fire ⓘ
governmentTypeContext Weimar Republic transitioning to Nazi dictatorship ⓘ
historicalSignificance foundation for later Nazi repression and terror state ⓘ
key step in dismantling democracy in Germany ⓘ
issuer Office of the Federal President ⓘ
surface form: Office of the President of the Weimar Republic
language German ⓘ
legalBasis Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution ⓘ
locationSigned Berlin ⓘ
politicalEffect enabled establishment of a one-party dictatorship ⓘ
expanded powers of the executive branch ⓘ
facilitated Nazi consolidation of power ⓘ
undermined the Weimar Constitution ⓘ
weakened the Reichstag ⓘ
reason alleged communist insurrection after the Reichstag fire ⓘ
signatory Paul von Hindenburg ⓘ
supportedBy Adolf Hitler ⓘ
Nazi Party ⓘ
surface form: National Socialist German Workers' Party
suspendedRight freedom of assembly ⓘ
freedom of association ⓘ
freedom of expression ⓘ
freedom of the press ⓘ
habeas corpus protections ⓘ
privacy of postal communications ⓘ
privacy of telegraphic communications ⓘ
privacy of telephonic communications ⓘ
protection against unlawful searches ⓘ
protection against unlawful seizures ⓘ
targetedGroup Communist Party of Germany ⓘ
Social Democratic Party of Germany ⓘ
other political opponents of the Nazi Party ⓘ
temporalScope remained formally in force throughout the Nazi regime ⓘ
usedFor intimidation of political opposition ⓘ
mass arrests of communists ⓘ
suppression of civil society ⓘ

Referenced by (13)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Reichstag fire → aftermath → Reichstag Fire Decree ⓘ
this entity surface form: Ermächtigungsgesetz
Reichstag Fire Decree → alsoKnownAs → Reichstag Fire Decree ⓘ
this entity surface form: Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State
Reichstag Fire Decree → alsoKnownAs → Reichstag Fire Decree ⓘ
this entity surface form: Reichstag Fire Decree of 28 February 1933
Nazi seizure of power → hasPart → Reichstag Fire Decree ⓘ
Nazi seizure of power → legalBasis → Reichstag Fire Decree ⓘ
Gleichschaltung → legalInstrument → Reichstag Fire Decree ⓘ
Third Reich → notableEvent → Reichstag Fire Decree ⓘ
Enabling Act of 1933 → precededBy → Reichstag Fire Decree ⓘ
Nazi seizure of power → significantEvent → Reichstag Fire Decree ⓘ
this entity surface form: 28 February 1933 Reichstag Fire Decree
Weimar Constitution → suspendedDeFactoBy → Reichstag Fire Decree ⓘ
Marinus van der Lubbe → usedAsPretextFor → Reichstag Fire Decree ⓘ
Reich government → usedLegalInstrument → Reichstag Fire Decree ⓘ