Marinus van der Lubbe

Marinus van der Lubbe (July 13, 1909 - July 10, 1934) was a Dutch communist accused of setting fire to the German Reichstag on February 27, 1933.

Employed in his youth as a bricklayer in the Netherlands, van der Lubbe suffered a debilitating accident in 1926, leaving him unemployed. He soon joined the Dutch Communist Party and planned to emigrate to the Soviet Union, but lacked the funds to do so. Instead, he went to Germany, where he was active in the local communists battles with the Nazis.

At 9:14 p.m. on the night of February 27, 1933, a Berlin firestation received an alarm that the Reichstag was burning. The fire seemed to have been started in several places, and by the time the police and firemen arrived a huge explosion had set the main Chamber of Deputies in flames. Looking for clues, the police quickly found van der Lubbe, half-naked, cowering behind the building. Hitler and Goering arrived soon after, and when they were shown van der Lubbe, a known communist agitator, Goering immediately declared that the fire was set by the communists, and had the party leaders arrested. Hitler took advantage of the situation to declare a state of emergency and encouraged the aging president Paul von Hindenburg to sign a decree abolishing freedom of speech, claiming that this could be used for further agitation.

According to the police, van der Lubbe claimed to have set the fire as a protest against the rising power of the Nazis. Under torture, he confessed again, and was brought to trial, along with the leaders of the opposition Communist Party. With their leaders in jail and denied access to the press, the Communists lost the next election and Hitler was swept to power.

At his trial, van der Lubbe was found guilty and sentenced to death. He was beheaded on July 10, just three days before his twenty-fifth birthday. On the other hand, the court acquited the communist party leadership. This infuriated Hitler, who decrees that thenceforth treason would only be tried by Nazi Party "People's Courts."

Historians generally agree that van der Lubbe, sometimes described as a half-wit, was involved in the Reichstag fire. The extent of the damage however, has led to considerable debate over whether he acted alone. At the trial the communists were acquitted, making it difficult to believe that they were actually involved. Considering the speed with which the fire engulfed the building, van der Lubbe's reputation as a fool hungry for fame, and cryptic comments by leading Nazi officials, it is generally believed that the Nazi hierarchy was involved in order to reap political gain--and in fact it did. Nevetheless, there is no conclusive evidence either way.