# Reichstag Fire (1933)

URL: https://germany-history.com/timeline/1933-reichstag-fire
Location: Berlin
Categories: main-event

On 27 February 1933 the Reichstag burned. The next day a decree suspended basic rights. Thousands of communists and opponents were arrested.

## Why it matters
It laid the legal basis for Nazi terror.

Ruler at the time: [Adolf Hitler](https://germany-history.com/rulers/adolf-hitler)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia – Reichstag fire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_fire)
- [Wikipedia – Reichstag Fire Decree](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_Fire_Decree)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica – Reichstag fire](https://www.britannica.com/event/Reichstag-fire)