Shawn+Siroka

=The Burning of the Reichstag =



= The Purpose of The Reichstag =

 The Reichstag building is a very crucial and important part in Germany’s history. After the German Empire was founded in 1871, there was a great need for a parliamentary building. Paul Wallot answered this need by designing The Reichstag Building. It was built between 1884 and 1894 with money that Germany received from France for wartime reparations. The foundation stone was laid by the emperor himself in 1884 and the building was inscribed “Dem Deutschen Volke” which means “to the German people”. To learn more about the buildings construction, architecture, and design click [|here!]

= = = The Fire =

The building was set on fire to give Hitler a political edge by blaming the fire on the communist party, Hitler's main competition. Marinus Van Der Lubbe was the arsonist and was eventually beheaded for this act. However, the Nazi storm troopers also helped by setting up incendiary devices and by lighting them on fire through the use of an underground tunnel. Overall, this was too well thought out to be done by one person and became one of the biggest political scandals in Europe's history. Click [|here] to learn more about the fire.



= The Aftermath of the Fire = After the mass hysteria surrounding the burning, I think that most important thing that happened was when Papen and Hitler went to President Hindenburg and got him to sign the decree “for the protection of the people and the state”. This decree put restrictions on basic freedoms such as freedom of opinion, press, and assembly. It also gave Nazis the power to search and seize houses at will and use those houses for soldiers. When Goring was asked about the decree he replied, “I don’t have to worry about justice. My mission is only to destroy and exterminate nothing more”. For more about what happened after the fire click [|here]!  = media type="youtube" key="uqw1R2oA9KA" width="340" height="281" = = = = Questions =

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3. In your opinion, what was the most important thing that happened after the fire?
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