Reichstag Fire Decree

Now, it's important to note that Marquain began that press conference saying, "We will not stop enforcing the nation's laws." Why is that controversial? What's controversial about enforce- enforcing the nation's laws? Well, first of all, you're clearly violating the nation's laws.

And second of all, let's talk about some other laws people said they were just enforcing: the Fugitive Slave Act, the Three-Fifths Compromise, the Nuremberg Laws, Dred Scott, the Indian Removal Act, the Law for Protection of German Blood, anti-miscegenation laws, the Defense of Marriage Act, the Reichstag Fire Decree.

All laws.

Now, recently, a new initiative was announced that ICE now must detain an additional thousand people per day.

Back in 1933, the Nazis led a 24-year-old mentally ill Dutch communist by the name of Marinus van der Lubbe into the basement of the Reichstag building, into the basement of the parliament building, and he set it on fire.

And Hitler stood in front of that building and said, "This is a sign from God." All right? And within 24 hours, Hitler had what was called the Reichstag Fire Decree, which ended civil liberties in Germany until after World War II.

Turns out that this meme, you know, a foreign attack that rescues or expands the powers of a political leader, is one of the oldest stories in politics, including American politics.

James Polk did this.

Hitler assured him that was not the case, that this was a national security emergency.

So a famous Reichstag fire decree is issued, suspending civil liberties.

basically banning the Communist Party and allows Hitler to bring sort of the full force of his executive authority.

onto the election scene at that point.

Emergency mandates and legal orders were issued in February 1933, which granted the political police from being punished or prosecuted for breaching constitutional limits.

This included the Reichstag Fire Decree.

This proclamation put an end to individual rights and legal protections, such as the right to privacy, thus allowing the police to conduct their interrogation, examination, and incarceration of anyone who they saw as a socio-political threat.

Hitler had approved the reading of civilians' private mail, entering residences without a warrant, and sanctioned his squads to secretly listen to telephone calls whenever they felt necessary.

So, Tim, this is a pretty seismic shift in Hindenburg and ultimately Hitler's consolidation of power.

What did the Reichstag fire decree enact and what were its consequences?

Oh, one thing first on the Reichstag fire itself.

Historians can usually explain everything to this day.