The Reichstag Fire: The Case Against the Nazi Conspiracy

Compelling story of one of the most enduring myths of Nazi Germany: did the Nazis burn their own Reichstag? The Reichstag fire on 27 February 1933 arguably marked the true start of the Third Reich. The journalist Walter Kiaulehn said the fire, and the aftermath, was the ‘opening act’: ‘First the Reichstag burned, then the books burned, and then the synagogues ’ The attack was used by the Nazis to consolidate their position, crush the Communists and pass a series of dictatorial laws. The self-confessed culprit was Marinus van de Lubbe, a Dutch Communist sympathiser caught at the scene. Documents indicating his guilt were subsequently found to be forgeries and the controversy has never been resolved. Many realised the Nazis had much to gain and may have staged the incident. AUTHOR: ‘Sven Felix Kellerhoff’ is a German historian and journalist. He is the author several critically acclaimed books on the Third Reich, including ‘Hitler’s Fuhrerbunker’. He was born in Stuttgart in 1971. SELLING POINTS: . Comprehensive analysis using official documents released after German reunification in 1989 . Balanced account investigating Nazi culpability . Written by an award- winning journalist in a readable, accessible style . Overview of the various theories including the ‘Oberfohren Memorandum’ of evidence against the Nazis REVIEWS: Berlin historian Sven Felix Kellerhoff’s provides ‘a punch readable account of the case as well as its curious afterlife’ (Roger Moorhouse). 16 b/w images