What is the significance of this building? What is happening here? What is the significance of this building? This is the Reichstag Government building in Berlin. On the 27th February (less than a month after Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor) the Reichstag was set on fire. This photograph shows that fire. The inscription on the building reads “The German People”. The significance of the building is that it the meeting place of the German Government, and therefore a symbol of democracy.

The Big Picture: The Nazis in Power Key Vocabulary Chancellor Fuhrer Opposition Resistance Police State Censorship Propaganda Know how the Nazis consolidated their power with methods of control THE NAZIS IN POWER How did Hitler become Chancellor then Fuhrer by 1934 . Know why there was opposition and resistance to the Nazi Government Recap of the overall big picture from lesson 1.

Todays Lesson How did Hitler use the Reichstag fire to his advantage? Key Vocabulary Reichstag Communist Democracy Government Fire How did Hitler use the Reichstag fire to his advantage? Understand how Hitler used the Reichstag Fire to gain emergency powers from the Reichstag Identify how and why the Communists were blamed for the Reichstag fire . Know the controversy surrounding the story of the Reichstag Fire Today’s lesson title and objectives. Needs to be recorded by students.

The story… On 27th February 1933 (less than one month after Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor) fire ripped through and destroyed the Reichstag. There were no casualties, but the fire destroyed Germany’s Government building – their symbol of democracy. At the scene a Dutch communist named Marius Van der Lubbe was arrested. Van der Lubbe was later put on trial and found guilty of starting the fire. The story in overview. This slide could be printed and given to students as a handout to stick into books, or students could make a copy of the bullet points in their books.

Van der Lubbe: Van der Lubbe during a series of “mug shot” photographs taken after his arrest. Van der Lubbe was 24 years old. He had a history of mental problems and pyromaniac tendencies. He was an immigrant in Germany, and evidence suggested that he was probably acting alone. There is some suggestion that he was drugged during his trial, where he was found guilty of starting the fire and sentenced to death by guillotine. Van der Lubbe at his trial. Key points: The evidence suggests that Van Der Lubbe almost certainly was responsible for the fire. He was a well known pyromaniac which means he had set fire to or attempted to set fire to buildings in the past. He was an immigrant which made him even more suspicious. He admitted guilt from the start. There is some suggestion that Van der Lubbe was drugged during his trial. Students can use the photographs to assess how true this claim might be.

How did Hitler use the fire to his advantage? (short term) Despite evidence suggesting that Van der Lubbe was a psychotic who was working alone, there was something else about him which Hitler manipulated to his advantage. Van der Lubbe was a Communist. Rather than have Van der Lubbe publicised as having acted alone, Hitler and the Nazis openly claimed that he had been acting as part of a much larger Communist plot to disrupt and endanger German democracy. The very next day (claiming that he was the only person who could protect Germany from Communists) Hitler persuaded President Hindenburg to grant him emergency powers. This gave them powers to arrest people and hold them without trial for as long as they wanted. They were also able to ban political meetings of other parties and close down their newspapers. Summary of how Hitler used the Reichstag fire to his advantage in the very short term. This slide can be used to help students fill in the first and second steps of their ‘Steps to Power’ footpath chart. Step 1: The Reichstag Fire and Emergency Powers. Students must summarise in no more than 25 words for each step.

How did Hitler use the fire to his advantage? (long term) In the months that followed Hitler used the fire and his new gained emergency powers from the Reichstag to gain even more power. On 24th March 1933 Hitler asked the Reichstag to support something he called the Enabling Act. This effectively brought German democracy to an end as the act allowed Hitler to pass any law he wanted without going through the Reichstag. This would put all of the power in his hands. The Communists were banned from voting. The Centre Party voted in favour after Hitler promised to protect the Catholic church. Only the Social Democrats voted against the act. The Enabling Act was passed by 444 votes to 94. Hitler immediately put the Act into practice. On 2nd May the Trade Unions were taken under Nazi control, and in July all political parties other than the Nazis were banned. Students use this slide to add information to Step 2: The Enabling Act on their road to dictatorship worksheet.

Why was there a controversy over the Reichstag fire? GUILTY?? GUILTY?? Introduction to the idea of a controversy. The story behind this is the next slide – but students could be asked here what they think the controversy is.

Why was there a controversy over the Reichstag fire? Despite Van der Lubbe being found at the scene and admitting guilt, one theory about the fire is that it might have been started by the Nazis themselves. A theory that was fuelled further by Goering’s drunken admission to starting the fire himself some years later! It is true that Hitler lost nothing and gained much by the fire, but the theory at no stage points any blame towards Hitler himself. Hitler was not responsible for the fire, but it is possible it could have been started by the Nazis to aid Hitler’s road to power. The controversy.

Who was responsible for the Reichstag fire? You decide! The Nazis Van der Lubbe

Reichstag Fire: The court case You will now be organised into 3 teams: The Judge and Jury Van der Lubbe defence Team Nazi defence team The Judge and Jury will be responsible for reviewing all of the evidence. They will need to know both sides of the story in preparation for the trial. The Van der Lubbe defence team will be trying to prove his innocence and the Nazis’ guilt! You will need to nominate one person to act as Van der Lubbe during the trial. The Nazi defence team will be trying to prove their innocence and Van der Lubbe’s guilt! You will need to nominate one person to act as Hitler to answer questions on behalf of the Nazis during the trial. You will receive an instruction card for you team. Instructions for the court case roleplay. Each of the 3 teams will receive a separate instruction card. Although the teams will be quite large they will need to work together and delegate tasks to get their case together. The judge and jury team should be made up of the most able in the group. Use pages 48-49 waugh and leonard….laptops etc….

Reichstag Fire: The court case Guilty or not guilty? Act out the court case scene. The judge and jury team are responsible for asking questions to both sides. Only the people acting as Van der Lubbe and Hitler may speak, but they or the team can call a halt to proceedings for a 30 second help session by shouting “stop”. At this stage both defendants are allowed to return to their teams for help/advice/answers. The judge and jury team get the final say on guilt, and must read their verdict along with justification at the end of the trial.

Today I learnt that….? Plenary: This can be done through any method you see fit so long as TILT time is built in to the last part of the lesson.