Why the Reichstag fire was important to Hitler and the Nazis

• Reichstag fire


  • The Nazis claimed the fire was the work of a Dutch Communists as he was caught in the building once the fire started
  • The Nazis were presented with a great propaganda opportunity to turn people against the communists since they were blamed for the fire
  • Hindenburg was persuaded to declare a state of emergency by Hitler
  • Reichstag fire gave Hitler an excuse for using violence and terror especially against the communists as many were arrested
  • The police were also told to ban political meetings and marches of opposition groups
  • The fire helped Hitler to wipe out his political opposition as many of his opponents were arrested or killed
  • The government were now allowed to arrest and imprison political opponents without charging them
  • The Reichstag fire allowed the Nazis to ban other political organisations