Reichstag fire

E9597

The Reichstag fire was a 1933 arson attack on the German parliament building that the Nazis exploited to suspend civil liberties and consolidate dictatorial power.

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Observed surface forms (5)


Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf arson attack
historical event
political crisis
accusedGroup Communist Party of Germany
accusedPerson Marinus van der Lubbe
aftermath Reichstag Fire Decree
mass arrests of political opponents
persecution of communists
strengthening of Nazi control over state
suspension of civil liberties in Germany
cause arson
consequence consolidation of Nazi power
curtailment of freedom of assembly
curtailment of freedom of speech
curtailment of freedom of the press
establishment of one-party rule in Germany
expansion of state surveillance and repression
country Germany
date 1933-02-27
disputedAspect true perpetrators remain historically contested
endDate 1933-02-28
governmentResponse ban on many civil rights organizations
immediate declaration of state of emergency
historicalInterpretation seen as pretext for dismantling democracy in Germany
jurisdiction Prussia
legalConsequence Reichstag Fire Decree suspended key articles of Weimar Constitution
introduction of emergency powers under Article 48
location Berlin
Reichstag building
Weimar Republic
mediaCoverage widely reported in German and international press
officialNarrative Nazis blamed communists for the fire
partOf Nazi consolidation of power in 1933
politicalContext German federal election campaign of March 1933
Hitler recently appointed Chancellor of Germany
relatedBuilding German parliament building
relatedEvent Enabling Act of 1933
Third Reich
surface form: Nazi seizure of power
significance marked end of many civil liberties in Germany
pivotal event in establishment of Nazi dictatorship
used by Nazis to justify emergency powers
startDate 1933-02-27
target Reichstag building
timePeriod Nazi rise to power
interwar period
usedBy Adolf Hitler
Nazi Party
victimGroup German communists
German social democrats
political opponents of Nazis

Referenced by (12)

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

Marinus van der Lubbe event Reichstag fire
Reichstag building event Reichstag fire
Reichstag Fire Decree follows Reichstag fire
Nazi seizure of power hasPart Reichstag fire
Reichstag of Nazi Germany meetsAfter Reichstag fire
this entity surface form: Reichstag fire of 1933
Nazi Germany notableEvent Reichstag fire
Georgi Dimitrov participantIn Reichstag fire
this entity surface form: Reichstag fire trial
this entity surface form: Reichstag building fire of 27 February 1933
Nazi seizure of power significantEvent Reichstag fire
this entity surface form: 27 February 1933 Reichstag fire
this entity surface form: Reichstag Fire
Weimar Republic significantEvent Reichstag fire