Reichstag (Nazi Germany)

The Reichstag building in Berlin continued to function, nominally, as the seat of the German Parliament during the Nazi era (1933-1945), but its role was dramatically diminished and effectively symbolic. Following the Reichstag fire on February 27, 1933, which was used as a pretext to suppress political opposition, the building was largely abandoned for parliamentary sessions.

The March 1933 elections, held under conditions of widespread intimidation and violence, produced a Nazi-dominated Reichstag. This body quickly passed the Enabling Act (Ermächtigungsgesetz) on March 23, 1933, which transferred legislative power to Adolf Hitler's cabinet, effectively establishing a dictatorship.

From that point onward, the Reichstag became a rubber-stamp assembly, convened only to unanimously approve Hitler's policies and lend a veneer of legitimacy to his regime. Elections continued to be held, but only Nazi Party members and "guests" were elected to the assembly. Sessions were infrequent and largely ceremonial, consisting primarily of speeches by Hitler and other Nazi leaders.

The Reichstag building itself was damaged during World War II and later stood on the border between East and West Berlin, falling within the British sector. The Nazi-era Reichstag, therefore, represents a stark example of the subversion and manipulation of democratic institutions by a totalitarian regime. Its existence during this period served as propaganda, intended to mask the reality of absolute power wielded by Hitler and the Nazi Party.