Was the reichstag fire an acheivement for Hermann Goring??

Answer 1

Yes, they could blame it on the communists and Van Der Lubbe and ban them as a party. A great achievement if you believe he started it. If not it was very lucky for them and they were quick enough to pin the blame on the communists.

Answer 2

I doubt the truth will ever be known. However, the fire profited only the Nazi party and certainly later Goering did boast about it but the evidence is circumstantial. Marinius van der Lubbe did set fires there on the same night. He was a communist but was what was called at the time a half wit. He had a known penchant for arson. So, his presence was a god send for the Nazis. It allowed them to have a show trial of a communist and set in motion the supression of the communist party. The evidence would suggest that his fires were not of a sufficent magnitude to destroy the building and that there were other fires set by another party, most likely Karl Ernst. Whether van der Lubbe put the idea into the Nazi leaderships minds or not is debatable. He was arrested a few days earlier having boasted about setting fires and saying the Reichstag would be next. Although an arsonist, it appears he was not very good at it. He was released in time to be there when the fire did start.

Whether Goering planned it or whether it came from another source, it is devious enough to be Hitler's idea, will never be beyond doubt. It was the event which allowed Hitler to seize power and effectively end German democracy.

Answer 3

Does anyone else see a twisted similarity between the reichstag fire and the world trade center bombing and subsequent war on terror. I'm not saying that bush would be sick enough to bomb the place himself but he certainly benefitted from it just like hitler did with the fire

Answer 4

It certainly worked out to be extremly advantagous for the Nazi party.

As the fire was blamed on a (mentally ill) communist this allowed Hitler to persaude President Hindenburg not to let the Communists take their seats in Parliament.

Therefore, as there were less people in parliament, it was easier for the Nazi party to get a majority vote and make Hitler Fuhrer

Answer 5

If you can call burning down a government building and blaming the communist and using it as an excuse to murder and torture innocents , for his own crimes , the fact the Nazis were able to take over the government of Germany is suppose in a twisted way it was

Answer 6

All the evidence is that the fire was Van der Lubbe's work. The Nazis just benefited from it.

Answer 7

I write about it here http://www.berlin-explored.com