Seeds of Fire: A People’s Chronology

Recalling events that happened on this day in history.
Memories of struggle, resistance and persistence.

Compiled by Ulli Diemer

February 27, 1848
In Mannheim, a people’s assembly of the German state of Baden adopts a resolution demanding a bill of rights. Similar resolutions are adopted in Württemberg, Hesse-Darmstadt, Nassau, and other German states. Related Topics: German History – Revolutions of 1848-49
February 27, 1933
The Reichstag Fire. The German Reichstag (Parliament building) in Berlin is gutted by a mysterious fire a month after Adolf Hitler’s Nazis take power. They blame the fire on a Communist conspiracy, and within hours proclaim an emergency decree which suspends civil liberties and bans publications considered unfriendly to the government. Thousands of Communists, including all Communist members of parliament, are arrested and imprisoned. An ‘Enabling Decree’ is then passed on March 23, 1933 which allows Hitler to rule by decree, making him dictator of Germany. Further Reading: Neil Faulkner: 1933: The Nazi seizure of power: A Marxist History of the World part 83 William Sheridan Allen: The Nazi Seizure of Power: The Experience of a Single German Town Related Topics: Arson – Dictatorship – Fascism – Hitler, Adolf – Nazi History – Totalitarianism
February 27, 1934
Birth of Ralph Nader, American political activist and critic of corporate power. Related Topics: Consumer Advocacy
February 27, 1956
Birth of Meena Keshwar Kamal, founder of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan. Related Topics: Afghanistan – Women's Liberation Movement
February 27, 1973
About 200 Oglala Lakota and followers of the American Indian Movement (AIM) seize and occupy the town of Wounded Knee, South Dakota on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Oglala and AIM activists control the town for 71 days while the United States Marshals Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents and other ‘law enforcement’ agencies cordon off the area. Related Topics: Aboriginal History
February 27, 1989
A protest in the Venezuelan city of Plaza against a nation-wide increase in bus fares and other neo-liberal policies spreads to the capital, Caracas, leading to a wave of protests and riots which become known as the Caracazo. The government responds by declaring martial law and bringing in the army and police, who kill an estimated 2,000 people in the process of 'restoring order.' The government subsequently backs down on some of the worst of the neo-liberal reforms. In 1999, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights hears the case and finds that the government committed violations of human rights, including extrajudicial killings. Related Topics: Demonstrations, Marches, Protests – Public Transportation – Venezuela