This Day In History

A short four weeks after the election of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany, the home of the German parliament, the Reichstag, burst into flames. This may be seen as a metaphor for what was to become of the whole German state under Hitler’s rule over the next fifteen years, but at the time it was a pivotal event in putting him and the Nazis into the positions of power they craved.  The Reichstag fire is typically interpreted as a false flag action, as the fire was blamed on Communist party members who the Nazis accused of beginning a planned overthrow of the Nazi government.  

This event is important to understand for many reasons, not only just due to its importance in history as a pivotal moment in the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party in Germany.  But in the 21st century, knowing the consequences of the Reichstag fire helps put into context what the term ‘Nazi’ really means, and how far the United States is from living under anything resembling a Nazi-like rule.  Using the fear of the Communist involvement in the fire, Hitler and the Nazis immediately suspended basic rights such as freedom of the press, freedom of expression and public assembly.