Ib History Ia
Historical Investigation into; How were the Nazi Government able to benefit from the Reichstag Fire?
Word Count: 1,752
Section A: Plan of the Investigation
The subject of this investigation is to study how the Nazi government was able to benefit from the Reichstag on fire in 1933. I will conduct research into this topic using primary and secondary sources. This evidence will be discussed in section B. Two key texts, A.J Nicholls, Weimar and The Rise of Hitler and Ian Kershaw, Hitler will be closely examined in section C. Detailed analysis will be undertaken in Section D. A conclusion will be reached in Section E.
Section B: Summary of Evidence
Historical Context:
• On January 1933, after years of struggling for power, Hitler and entered General Hindenburg’s office, where he were sworn into power. Thirteen years after he had set up the NSDAP in Munich, Adolf Hitler, forty-three years of age, was appointed chancellor of Germany.
• As Chancellor Hitler did not have full power over the country, the Nazi politicians were only a minority in the cabinet and in the Reichstag.
• Hitler decided that one more election must be held in order to gain majority of the cabinet for the Nazis.
• Strong resistance was present by the Communists towards the Nazi party.
• On 27th February 1933, the Reichstag in Berlin, Germany’s lower house of parliament was set on fire.
• Marinus Van Der Lubbe was arrested hours later under suspicion of setting the fire.
• Van der Lubbe was put on trial, and confessed to setting the fire. He was ruled guilty for treason, and sentenced to death.
• Seven months later, he was beheaded by an axeman in evening dress
Evidence for the fire being a communist plot:
• Van der Lubbe was found to have in his possession, fire starting equipment and various pro communist pamphlets.
• Van der Lubbe openly admitted to setting the
Word Count: 1,752
Section A: Plan of the Investigation
The subject of this investigation is to study how the Nazi government was able to benefit from the Reichstag on fire in 1933. I will conduct research into this topic using primary and secondary sources. This evidence will be discussed in section B. Two key texts, A.J Nicholls, Weimar and The Rise of Hitler and Ian Kershaw, Hitler will be closely examined in section C. Detailed analysis will be undertaken in Section D. A conclusion will be reached in Section E.
Section B: Summary of Evidence
Historical Context:
• On January 1933, after years of struggling for power, Hitler and entered General Hindenburg’s office, where he were sworn into power. Thirteen years after he had set up the NSDAP in Munich, Adolf Hitler, forty-three years of age, was appointed chancellor of Germany.
• As Chancellor Hitler did not have full power over the country, the Nazi politicians were only a minority in the cabinet and in the Reichstag.
• Hitler decided that one more election must be held in order to gain majority of the cabinet for the Nazis.
• Strong resistance was present by the Communists towards the Nazi party.
• On 27th February 1933, the Reichstag in Berlin, Germany’s lower house of parliament was set on fire.
• Marinus Van Der Lubbe was arrested hours later under suspicion of setting the fire.
• Van der Lubbe was put on trial, and confessed to setting the fire. He was ruled guilty for treason, and sentenced to death.
• Seven months later, he was beheaded by an axeman in evening dress
Evidence for the fire being a communist plot:
• Van der Lubbe was found to have in his possession, fire starting equipment and various pro communist pamphlets.
• Van der Lubbe openly admitted to setting the
Bibliography: Elliott, B.J. 1991, Hitler and Germany, 2nd edn, Longman Inc., New York, U.S.A. Kershaw, I. 2008, Hitler, The Penguin Group, London, England. Lee, S.J. 2008, European Dictatorships 1918-1945, 3rd edn, Routledge, New York, U.S.A. Nicholls, A.J. 1991, Weimar And The Rise Of Hilter, 3rd edn, Macmillan Academic And Professional LTD, London, England. Good Reads Ian Kershaw, Good Reads, viewed 08/21, 2011, < http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/30702.Ian_Kershaw>. Oxford University Press Freedom with responsibility, Oxford University Press, viewed 08/20, 2011, < http://www.us.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/HistoryWorld/European/Germany/?view=usa&ci=9780198208525