President of the Reichstag Hermann Göring giving a radio speech on the Reichstag fire in 1933. Hermann Göring gave a radio speech on 1 March 1933, after the Reichstag fire, in which he commented on the events of the previous evening. The Reichstag fire occurred on 27 February 1933 and was used by the National Socialists to justify a wave of repression against political opponents, especially the Communists. In his speech, Göring claimed that the arson attack on the Reichstag was a communist attempt to seize power in the state and instigate a revolutionary uprising. He described the events as a serious threat to security and order in Germany. Göring took the opportunity to justify the necessity of persecution measures against the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and the urgency of issuing the ‘Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of the People and the State’. This decree, also known as the Reichstag Fire Decree, cancelled numerous fundamental rights and paved the way for the establishment of the National Socialist dictatorship.