The year 1933 marked the beginning of a very dark period in German history. At the end of January, Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party, was appointed Chancellor of Germany. A few weeks later, the German parliament, the Reichstag, was set on fire, leading to the suspension of civil liberties. The blame for the arson was placed squarely on Communists. Hermann Göring, a powerful minister in Hitler’s government, claimed that aeroplanes had scattered Communist literature over Berlin before the blaze started. A clampdown was ordered on Communist activities through a presidential decree. This was a pivotal moment in...