The Munich Putsch
In November 1923, Hitler tried to take advantage of the Very rapid and high increase in the level of prices, combined with a fall in the value of money. crisis facing the Weimar government by instigating a Rapid and far-reaching change. in Munich 鈥 known as the A failed attempt in November 1923 by Hitler to overthrow the government of the Weimar Republic.. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to take power, but poor planning and misjudgement resulted in failure and the subsequent imprisonment of Adolf Hitler.
Summary of events
During the hyperinflation crisis of 1923, Hitler plotted with two One who promotes the independence of their own nation from others. politicians - Kahr and Lossow - to take over Munich in a revolution.
Hitler collected the Also known as Storm Troopers or Brown shirts. A military style organisation of the Nazi party formed in 1921 under Hitler. and told them to be ready to rebel.
But then, on 4 October 1923, Kahr and Lossow called off the rebellion. This was an impossible situation for Hitler, who had 3,000 troops ready to fight.
On the night of 8 November 1923, Hitler and 600 SA members burst into a meeting that Kahr and Lossow were holding at the local Beer Hall. Waving a gun at them, Hitler forced them to agree to rebel - and then let them go home. Hitler also managed to persuade General Ludendorff, a German war hero, to back his revolution. The SA took over the army headquarters and the offices of the local newspaper.
The next day, 9 November 1923, Hitler and the SA went into Munich on what they thought would be a triumphal march to take power. However, Kahr had called in police and army reinforcements. There was a short scuffle in which the police killed 16 members of the SA.
Hitler fled, but was arrested two days later.
Causes that led to Hitler attempting the Munich Putsch in 1923
- By 1923, the Nazi party had 55,000 members and was stronger than ever before.
- The Weimar Republic was in crisis due to hyperinflation.
- In September 1923, the Weimar government had called off the Industrial action that involves all or most of the main industries in a particular place (city or country). in the Ruhr, following the French invasion. German nationalists were furious with the government.
- Hitler thought he would be helped by important nationalist politicians in Bavaria.
- Hitler had a huge army of SA members, but he knew he would lose control of them if he did not give them something to do.
- Hitler hoped to copy Mussolini - the Italian Someone with extreme right-wing, nationalist views who believes in the idea that there should be a strong, all powerful leader and a one party state. leader - who had come to power in Italy in 1922 by marching on Rome.
Consequences of the Munich Putsch
The Munich Putsch was a failure in the short term, but it was also an important event in the Nazis鈥 rise to power. As a result of the Putsch:
Short term failure:
- The Nazi party was banned, and Hitler was prevented from speaking in public until 1927.
- Hitler was tried for high treason (betraying his country) and sentenced to five years in prison.
Long term successes:
- Hitler used his trial as a political rally. His ranting against the Weimar government gained a lot of media coverage and helped to raise his profile.
- He served only eight months, during which time he wrote Mein Kampf 鈥 a propaganda book setting out Nazi beliefs. Millions of Germans read it, and Hitler's ideas became very well-known.
- Hitler realised that he would never come to power by revolution and that he would have use democratic means, so he reorganised the party to enable it to take part in elections.