Reichstag Fire Decree issued in Germany

Reichstag Fire Decree issued in Germany

February 28, 2010 05:00:00 am

On February 28, 1933, German President Paul von Hindenburg issued the Presidential Decree for the Protection of People and State in response the burning of the Reichstag (the German Parliament building) on the previous day. More commonly known as the Reichstag Fire Decree, the law suspended many key civil liberties, such as free press, habeas corpus, and warrant requirements. Blaming Communists for the attack on the Reichstag, the Nazi party and newly-appointed Chancellor Adolf Hitler pressed the law through as a first step in establishing absolute control over Germany.

On March 23, the German Parliament passed the Enabling Act, which empowered Adolf Hitler to become the dictator of Germany. Four months later on July 14, the Nazis solidified their control over Germany with the passage of the Law Against the Establishment of Parties eliminated all political parties in Germany other than the Nazi Party.

THIS DAY @ LAW

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On April 30, 1948, the Organization of American States (OAS) was established in Bogota, Colombia with the signing of the Charter of the Organization of American States at the Ninth International Conference of American States.

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On April 30, 1803, the United States and France signed the Louisiana Purchase Treaty in Paris, by which France ceded its Louisiana Territory to the US for $15 million.

Review the terms of the Louisiana Purchase Treaty.