The Reichstag Fire Night: Berlin, February 27, 1933

On February 27, 1933, Berlin was already on edge. Adolf Hitler had been chancellor for less than a month. His Nazi Party was the biggest party in parliament. But it did not have a majority. Hitler still needed other politicians to pass laws. He also faced a new election in six days. That election mattered because the Nazis wanted total control. They wanted votes, and they wanted fear. Then, just after nine at night, the alarm came. The Reichstag was burning. The Reichstag was Germany's parliament building. It stood in the middle of Berlin.