The Reichstag fire occurred on 27th February 1933, in Berlin, Germany.

It was a crucial event in the history of Germany and had far-reaching implications for the country and the world.

The fire was set to the German Parliament building, the Reichstag, and was used as a pretext by the newly appointed Chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler, to suspend civil liberties, arrest political opponents, and consolidate power in the hands of the Nazi Party.

The cause of the fire is still debated to this day, but the official version of events was that it was started by a young Dutch communist, Marinus van der Lubbe who was arrested at the scene. However, there is substantial evidence to suggest that the fire was actually started by the Nazis themselves as a means of creating a crisis that would justify their seizure of power.

Marinus van der Lubbe was born in the Dutch city of Leiden in 1909. He became involved with the labour movement while working as a bricklayer; in 1925, at the age of 16, he joined the Communist Party of the Netherlands (CPN) and its youth wing, the Communist Youth Bund (CJB).

He was politically active in the unemployed workers' movement until 1931, when he broke with the CPN and approached the Group of International Communists instead. Van der Lubbe fled to Germany in 1933 to join the local communist underground. He had a criminal record for several previous arson attempts.

On 27th February 1933, shortly after 9 p.m., The sound of breaking glass was heard by pedestrians near the Reichstag. The building was soon engulfed in flames and firefighters were dispatched.

Despite their efforts, the fire raged for over two hours and was not put out until 11:30 p.m. The majority of the building was destroyed including the debating chamber and the Reichstag's gilded cupola.

Overall, the inferno caused over $1 million in damage.

Hitler referred to the fire as a "sign from God," claiming it signalled the start of a communist revolt. The next day, the Prussian Press Service breathlessly reported that "this act of incendiarism is the most monstrous act of terrorism carried out by Bolshevism in Germany".

The newspaper Vossische Zeitung ominously warned its readers that "the government is of the opinion that the situation is such that a danger to the state and nation existed and still exists."

At the time of the Reichstag fire on 27th February 1933, Walter Gempp was the head of the Berlin fire department, personally directing the operations.

On 25th March he was fired for presenting evidence implying Nazi involvement in the fire. Gempp claimed that there had been a delay in notifying the fire department and that he had been barred from fully utilising the resources at his disposal.

Gempp was arrested for abuse of office in 1937. He was imprisoned despite his appeal. On 2nd May 1939, Gempp was strangled and murdered in prison.

President Hindenburg signed the Reichstag Fire Decree into law the day after the fire, at Hitler's request, using Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution. Most civil liberties in Germany were suspended by the Reichstag Fire Decree, including habeas corpus, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, the right of free association and public assembly, and postal and telephone secrecy. During the Nazi regime, these rights were not restored. The Nazis used the decree to outlaw publications that were not "friendly" to the Nazi cause.

Despite the fact that Marinus van der Lubbe claimed to have acted alone in the Reichstag fire, Hitler declared that it was the beginning of a larger communist effort to take over Germany after obtaining emergency powers. This fabricated "news" was then published in Nazi Party newspapers. This frightened the German people and further isolated communists among the civilians; additionally, thousands of communists (including leaders of the Communist Party of Germany) were imprisoned in the days following the fire on the charge that the Party was planning a putsch (coup).

The trial of Marinus van der Lubbe was held in 1933 but was widely seen as a sham and a political show, as the verdict was predetermined by the Nazi regime and the proceedings were heavily influenced by political considerations.

Despite the lack of concrete evidence linking van der Lubbe to the fire, he was found guilty and sentenced to death by beheading. Van der Lubbe was guillotined in a Leipzig prison yard on 10th January 1934 three days before his 25th birthday. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Leipzig.

The aftermath of the Reichstag fire was significant for Germany and the world. Hitler and the Nazi Party used the fire to justify the passage of the Enabling Act, which gave Hitler the power to rule by decree and effectively made him a dictator.

The fire also marked the beginning of the end of German democracy and the establishment of the Nazi regime, which would go on to cause immense suffering and devastation in Europe and around the world.

The Reichstag fire was a pivotal moment in German and world history.

Its causes and aftermath have been the subject of much debate and speculation, and its legacy remains relevant to this day as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked political power and the importance of protecting civil liberties and democratic institutions.