German party's Central; Committee decision to condemn Thälmann had been "mistaken". The result was that Ernst Thälmann was rapidly "rehabilitated" and restored to the leadership: the Communist Party of Germany fell more firmly under Moscow's control than ever. The result of the "error" for Ernst Schneller was rapid removal from the Politburo. The Twelfth Party Congress was held in the Wedding quarter of Berlin in June 1929. This time thirty-eight comrades were elected to Central Committee membership. Ernst Schneller was no longer among them, however. He was nevertheless given a job by the Central Committee, in the "Business department" ("Geschäftsabteilung") where for some months he was made responsible for "party printed matter". His return to grace was only partial. However, at the Party Conference in October 1932 he was again given management-level responsibilities and then readmitted to the Central Committee. He took over the information Department. A few months later everything changed. The National Socialists took power in January 1933 and lost no time in transforming Germany into a one-party dictatorship. Political activity (except in support of the National Socialists) became illegal, but it very soon became clear that the authorities were keen to pursue with particular fervour those who were or had been Communist Party members. Ernst Schneller position was particularly exposed because his leadership role over many years in respect of the Communist Party's "military-political" work meant that he had a higher public profile than most party officials. On 7 February 1933 Schneller was one of the participants at the "illegal" Sporthaus Ziegenhals meeting, celebrated subsequently (especially during the "East German" years) as the last meeting held by the German Communist Party leadership before the participants were arrested and killed or, in some cases, managed to escape abroad. A Communist leader in Germany under National Socialism The Reichstag fire took place on the night of 27 February 1933. Although the government, with almost indecent haste, identified it as part of a communist plot, many took the view that it was actually the government that appeared to have planned for such an eventuality. Several leading members of the Communist Party were promptly arrested. Ernst Schneller was among those arrested overnight in Berlin on 27/28 February 1933 and taken to the "Investigatory Prison" in Berlin-Moabit. Because of the dangers inherent in the political situation, communist leaders had been instructed by the party not to stay with their families: Schneller was