Analysis of the Sources on the Reichstag Fire.

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History Coursework

Q1. Study source A

How reliable is the account, explain your answer?

The source is saying what Rudolf Diels claims to have seen when he pushed himself into the burning building and that he read a pamphlet with a written confession by Van De Lubbe saying that he has done some fires in various places previously. Rudolf thought Van De Lubbe was a mad-man after he was questioned, but Hitler didn’t agree. The police were then told to shoot after a while he also said that it is a mad-house.

In my research Rudolf Diels states that

“Shortly after my arrival in the burning Reichstag, the national socialist elite had arrived. On a balcony jutting out of the chamber, Hitler and his trusty followers were assembled. As I entered, Goering came towards me. His voice was heavy with the emotion of the dramatic moment: “this is the beginning of the communist’s revolt, they will start there attack now! Not a moment must be lost.”

Goering could not continue. Hitler turned to the assembled company. Now I saw that his face was purple with agitation and with the heat. He should uncontrollably, as I had never seen him do it before, as if he was going to burst: “there will be no mercy now. Anyone who stands in our way will be cut down. The German people will not tolerate leniency. Every communist official will be shot where he is found. Everybody in league with the communists must be arrested. There will also no longer be leniency for social democrats.”

Later on, Rudolf Diels was then in charge of interrogating Marinus Van De Lubbe after the Reichstag fire and he states that

“A few of my department were already engaged in interrogating Marinus Van De Lubbe. Naked from the waist upwards, smeared with dirt and sweating. He sat in front of them, breathing heavily. He panted as if he had completed a tremendous task. There was a wild triumphant gleam in the burning eyes of his pale, haggard young face.

The voluntary confessions of Marinus Van De Lubbe prevented me from thinking that an arsonist who was such an expert in his folly needed any helpers. He had been so active that he had laid several dozen fires. With a firelighter he had set the chamber a flame. Then he had rushed through the big corridors with his burning shirt which he brandished in his right hand like a torch. During the hectic activity he was overpowered by Reichstag officials. I reported on the results of the first interrogations of Marinus Van De Lubbe – that in my opinion he was a maniac. But with this option I had come to the wrong man; Hitler ridiculed my childish view.”

Q2. Study sources C + D

How far do sources C + D agree about the events surroundings the Reichstag fire? Explain your answer.

Source C is showing us that Hitler thinks he is “it” and that he is strong and tough we can see this by how he is standing and holding the Nazi sign proudly, he thinks he is strong and tough because he put all the communists down and partly removed his political opponents so he could turn Germany into a Nazi dictatorship and if there are no political opponents Hitler can make any law he likes. He thinks he can get away with anything due to the fact that Paul Von Hindenburg was on his side.

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Hindenburg is on his side because when Hitler became the new chancellor of Germany on his first day as chancellor, Hitler manipulated Hindenburg into dissolving the Reichstag and calling for new elections he had wanted to be held on march 5, 1933. Later on, President Hindenburg had fallen under Hitler’s spell and was signing just about anything put in front of him. In the source Hindenburg must be receiving orders from Hitler etc.

However source D is a book published by a Nazi, it is biased, both sources must agree that that Hitler is strong and tough but ...

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