How significant was the 1933 Reichstag fire in consolidating Nazi power?

The Reichstag fire was just one of the factors that contributed to the consolidation of Nazi power. It was significant in that it gave the Nazis the excuse they needed to gain control over their political rivals, mainly the communist and socialist parties. However the events which followed such as the enabling act and the night of the long knives are arguably more significant, as the fire merely acted as a short term excuse to put these measures into place by offering the Nazis the opportunity to eliminate their remaining competition. In this way, it is arguable that the Reichstag fire's importance is limited, as without it Hitler would have probably found another excuse to bring about these changes. Furthermore, coincidental factors such as the death of President Hindenburg also contributed to the consolidation of Nazi power, demonstrating how Nazi consolidation of power was successful because of a number of reasons. //

The primary significance of the fire itself was Hitler's ability to manipulate the event in order to convince Hindenburg of a communist conspiracy against the state. The young communist responsible for the fire was unlikely to have been acting on behalf of the party as a whole, however his personal political beliefs allowed the Nazis to publicly label the communists as a threat, causing Hindenburg to pass the Decree for the Protection of People and state, banning freedom of speech, press and assembly. This effectively removed most political opposition for the Nazis, however the following March 1933 elections still did not produce a majority vote for the Nazi party, showing how the Reichstag fire and its immediate aftereffects did not consolidate power fully, and other factors such as the 1934 night of the long knives and the death of the elderly president were necessary to confirm Nazi dominance.