Soon after he became chancellor, Hitler called for new elections in
an effort to get full control of the Reichstag, the German parliament,
for the Nazis. The Nazis used the government apparatus to terrorize
the other parties. They arrested their leaders and banned their political
meetings. Then, in the midst of the election campaign, on February 27, 1933, the Reichstag
building burned. A Dutchman named Marinus van der Lubbe was arrested
for the crime, and he swore he had acted alone. Although many suspected
the Nazis were ultimately responsible for the act, the Nazis managed
to blame the Communists, thus turning more votes their way.