The Reichstag fire occurred on February 27, 1933, when the German parliament building in Berlin was set ablaze. The fire was quickly extinguished, but it raised concerns about political stability in Weimar Germany. The Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler, used the incident to justify a crackdown on political opponents, claiming it was part of a communist plot. This event led to the Reichstag Fire Decree, which suspended civil liberties and allowed for the arrest of many political dissidents, significantly consolidating Nazi power in Germany.