Der Reichstagsbrand

by Sven Felix Kellerhoff

The Reichstag fire on February 27, 1933 arguably marked the true start of the Third Reich. 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 sympathizer caught at the scene. Documents indicating his guilt were subsequently found to be forgeries, and the controversy has never been resolved. Many realized the Nazis had much to gain and may have staged the incident.

Genres: History

Paperback

Published January 1, 2008

About the author

Sven Felix Kellerhoff, geboren 1971 in Stuttgart, studierte Zeitgeschichte, Alte Geschichte und Medienrecht. Nach verschiedenen journalistischen Stationen ist er heute Leitender Redakteur für Zeit- und Kulturgeschichte der »Welt«-Mediengruppe. Er ist Autor zahlreicher zeithistorischer Sachbücher.

Reviews

[Bill Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was very interesting, succinct and to the point. My knowledge of this episode was thin, but I had accepted the conspiracy that the Nazis had set fire to the Reichstag to pursue their ambitions. A little bit of thought suggests that they really didn't need to, they were in the ascendency and their paramilitary thugs ruled the streets. Kellerhof achieves what he sets out to do. He gives a clear description of the fire, its timing and the discovery of the culprit very early on the conflagration. And here is the contemporary resonance, that a conspiracy rapidly gains followers until most of the interested parties believe it. Recovering the truth thereafter is very difficult. Kellerhof describes how the conspiracy theories took hold, how fake documents were used to prove the conspiracy and finally what probably really happened with the fire in 1933. I think there is a desire that if the fire had not happened, then the Nazis would not have achieved total power. However, by 1933, I think it was close to inevitable and they didn't need the fire. However, having been gifted it, it gave them carte blanche to crack down the communists and effectively steal the election a week later. A useful propaganda tool, but I doubt they needed it. Their crimes were far greater both at the time and in the subsequent decade. Their guilt re the fire would be a minor transgression, but it seems very unlikely they were involved. Kellerhoff deals with all this in a precisely written 145 pages.

[J Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Reichstag Fire: The Case Against the Nazi Conspiracy, by Sven Felix Kellerhoff and translated by Karina Berger, is a detailed and very convincing argument against the popular idea that the fire was a Nazi plot. Even more disturbing is what it says about the way history is sometimes done, even by established historians, when the desire to place blame outweighs, for them, the desire to seek the truth.

This reprint brings together most of the available information about the fire, the investigation, and the various conspiracy theories that surrounded it from the beginning. I am familiar with other accounts that make good cases for this being the act of a single man, but those accounts largely focus on a single perspective, bringing into the argument what fits in their larger narratives. This book tries, and succeeds quite well, in bringing everything into a narrative that is strictly about the fire, with the other narratives (Nazi, communist, workers, etc) playing supporting roles. This makes for the most convincing presentation that I have come across.

While this contains a lot of detail and makes several arguments, this is not an academic work, it is a detailed work for a broad readership, but a readership that wants to think as they read rather than just be fed a lot of information. So if your interest lies in this area, no matter what amount of formal or informal background you may have, this is accessible.

The fact that nothing seemed to support any of the conspiracy theories beyond the fact the Nazis did work it to their advantage, yet professional historians insisted on speculating as though the theories had some evidence to support them, makes one wonder just how much of history is equally misguided. We know that the "victors" write the histories, and they skew it to their benefit, but skewing and totally ignoring the facts before you are two different things.

Recommended for anyone with an interest in the early years of the Nazi regime, as well as those who may only remember the brief account of the fire likely offered in any kind of survey course.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Jennifer Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Reichstag Fire was a very interesting read. I have not previously read anything in the fire before. Sven Feliz Kellerhoff does a great job explaining the fire in terms anyone can understand. I really liked how he debunked the conspiracy theories. This book is definitely worth reading.