Reichstag Fire, Berlin, Germany
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Bernd das Brot Team
N 52° 31.108 E 013° 22.489
33U E 389727 N 5819947
The fire that paved the way for the crulest dictatorship in human history
Waymark Code: WM22NC
Location: Berlin, Germany
Date Posted: 08/25/2007
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member CM-14
Views: 439
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This text is partially taken from Wikipedia.

The Reichstag Fire was a pivotal event in the establishment of Nazi Germany. At 21:15 on the night of February 27, 1933, a Berlin fire station received an alarm call that the Reichstag building, the assembly location of the German Parliament, was ablaze. The fire was started in the Session Chamber, and by the time the police and firemen arrived, the main Chamber of Deputies was in flames.

Historians generally agree that Marinus van der Lubbe, a Dutch insurrectionist council communist who was arrested in the Reichstag during the fire was involved in it. The extent of the damage, however, has led to considerable debate over whether he acted alone. Considering the speed with which the fire engulfed the building, van der Lubbe's reputation as a mentally disturbed arsonist hungry for fame, and cryptic comments by leading Nazi officials, it was generally believed at the time the Nazi hierarchy was involved in order to reap political gain. Some have contended that van der Lubbe acted alone, and the Reichstag fire was merely a stroke of good luck for the Nazis.

Hitler's ruling Nazi party used the fire as evidence that the Communists were beginning a plot against the German government. The fire paved the way for the Nazi dictatorship. Only one day after the fire, Hitler received from President Hindenburg the Reichstag Fire Decree, suspending most civil liberties in Germany. 4,000 Communist leaders were arrested the same day.

Twelve years later, millions of people were killed by a regime that came into power with the help of this fire. Among the victims were 96 members of the parliament that was Germany's ruling body until the day of the fire.

We visited the building in August of 2007. since 1999, it has been completely rebuilt and is now again the home of the German parliament.

Type of Structure: Public building

Other: Capitol Building

Construction Date: 01/01/1894

Fire Date: 02/27/1933

Structure status: Still standing building

Cause of Fire:
Arsen

Documentation of the fire: [Web Link]
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