Those were his first steps to ultimate power. On the night of February 27th, 1933, the Reichstag building was set ablaze. The next day, at the urging of Hitler, Hindenburg issued an emergency decree for the protection of the people and the State which stated: "Restrictions on personal liberty, on the right of free expression of opinion, including freedom of the press; on the rights of assembly and association; and violations of the privacy of postal, telegraphic and telephonic communications and warrants for house searches, orders for confiscations as well as restrictions on property, are also permissible beyond the legal limits otherwise prescribed" (Hosch, 2007). The Nazis used the fire and the decree to attack their political opponents, especially Hitler's least favorite party, the communists. He used them and other leftists as a scapegoat to gain more power. After he signed the Enabling Act of 1933, the National Socialist German Workers' Party rounded up communists, leftist individuals, and labour leaders.
Along with that, on April 1st, they began the boycott of Jewish businesses and the official persecution of Jews (Hosch, 2007). Hitler also used Jews to gain political power, as he found them to be inferior to the ultimate German 'Aryan' race. Many German citizens at the time agreed with the Nazis; the poor economy of the country in the early 1930s made it easy to manipulate the people. That is because Germans had hope in the Nazi Party. In a radio speech given two days after becoming Chancellor, Hitler gave the people something to have faith in, "the Marxist parties and their allies have had 14 years to show what they can do. The result is a heap of ruins. Now, people of Germany, give us four years and then pass judgment upon us!" In the span of about two months, Hitler and the NSDAP took Germany by storm. The rest of Europe fell into Hitler's hands shortly after as well.
