On the cold, blustery evening of February 27,1933, a week before the end of a bitter campaign especially between the nazi's and the communists, the Reichstag building was burnt to the ground. A half witted Dutchmen, Van Der Lubbe was arrested and shot for the crime of arson, though it is unlikely that he had the intelligence or the equipment to start such an effective fire in a public building. The burning took place a week …showed first 75 words of 679 total…

…showed last 75 words of 679 total…Van Der Lubbe's frenzy lasted an approximated 19 minutes, from the time a student spotted the intruder and the time the police officers arrested van der lubbe. Georing accused the German communists for the fire, he also asked how the arsonists might have gained access to the Reichstag. Georing suggested that they had used the underground passage that ran between his offices across the boulevard and the Reichstag.Eventually in 1942 Georing claimed responsibility for the fire.