- Headline
-
Communists Hit By Hitler Edict
- Sub-Headline
- Press Barred After Fire At Reich Building
- Publication Date
- Tuesday, February 28, 1933
- Historical Event
-
Reichstag Fire Plunges Germany into Virtual Martial Law
This database includes 486 articles about this event - Article Type
- Location
- Page Section and Number
- 1
- Author/Byline
- AP
- Article Text
- Berlin, Feb. 28.—The Hitler government today prohibited publication of the entire Leftist Press and also ordered the arrest of the 100 Communist members of the last parliament.
With Reichstag and Prussian Diet elections five days off, both orders were regarded as forerunners to the outlawing of the Communist Party. They followed swiftly upon partial destruction of the massive half-century old Reichstag Building by a fire started by a young Dutch Communist last night.
The two Leftist parties formed the bulk of the majority opposition against the Hitler regime in the Reichstag dissolved this month, holding 221 of the 554 seats. The Communists and Hitlerites formed the two largest parties in the Prussian Diet, which also was dissolved.
Outlawing of only the Communist was expected to assure Chancellor Hitler's party of control in both the Reichstag and the Diet to be elected Sunday.
A 24-year old youth named Van der Lubbe admitted setting fire to the famous building.
The youth also admitted setting the fire to the former Kaiser's palace last Saturday night.
No official estimate of the damage had been made this morning but it was expected to amount to several million marks.
The Cabinet, which had been in session since 11 a. m., adjourned at 2:30 p. m., until 5 p. m. It had heard a report from Wilhelm Goering, minister without portfolio, upon the fire which damaged the Reichstag building yesterday and the result of a raid last week by police on Karl Liebknecht House, Communist headquarters on Buelowplatz.
A military state of emergency was refrained from in order to keep the Reichwehr (standing army) out of political action, but the measures to be decreed will have the effect of placing Germany under state of emergency with the sole object of meeting Communist danger.
Herr Goering reported that material seized in Karl Liebknecht House included forged orders to the police and to Nazi storm troopers and even included instructions for poisoning wells and food.
According to the testimony of two men who were arrested, they telephoned yesterday evening to the Socialist organ Vorwaerts at the request of this paper that Herr Goering himself had arranged for the Reichstag fire. - History Unfolded Contributor
- Michael P.
- Location of Research
- Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com)
Learn More about this Historical Event: Reichstag Fire Plunges Germany into Virtual Martial Law
- The Reichstag Fire (Holocaust Encyclopedia)
- Reichstag Fire Decree (Holocaust Encyclopedia)
- Arrests Without Warrant or Judicial Review (Holocaust Encyclopedia)
- The Enabling Act (Holocaust Encyclopedia)
- Law for the Imposition and Implementation of the Death Penalty (Holocaust Encyclopedia)
- Law Against the Founding of New Political Parties (Holocaust Encyclopedia)
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