Was the Munich Beer Hall Putsch a success
or a failure?
Learning objective – to assess the impact
of the Munich Beer Hall Putsch as a
turning point in German political history.
I can describe the
key features of the
Munich Beer Hall
Putsch.
Grade D
I can explain the
different
interpretations of the
Munich Beer Hall
Putsch.
Grade B
I can explain and reach a
judgement on whether
the Munich Beer Hall
Putsch was a success or a
failure.
Grade A/A*
What are the main interpretations of the
Munich Beer Hall Putsch?
The Putsch was a badly organised fiasco which was
easily put down and showed how weak the Nazis were.
The Putsch was a success for the Nazis as it put them
on the national map and made Hitler famous.
In this lesson, you will decide which interpretation is
the most accurate.
What were the key triggers that caused the
Munich Beer Hall Putsch?
 The government was seen as weak – it
had just called off passive resistance in
the Ruhr. Many saw this as giving in to
the French.
 The Nazis thought they had the
support of the army – in General
Ludendorff, they had a famous
supporter.
 The Bavarian state government was
right-wing – Hitler thought he could
count on their support.
 Gustav Kahr, the Bavarian state leader,
was unsure about the support of the
army. Hitler wanted to force him to act
against the national government.
8th November 1923 – Hitler makes his
move
Kahr held a meeting with business
leaders at a beer hall in Munich. Among
the speakers were two army leaders –
Lossow and Seisser.
Hitler’s plan was to seize Kahr, Lossow
and Seisser to persuade them to
support the Nazis in overthrowing the
government and replacing it with a
strong, central government.
Hitler with 600 SA troops stormed the
meeting and took Kahr, Lossow and
Seisser into a side room at pistol point
forcing them to agree to his planned
uprising the next day.
8th November 1923 – what went wrong
As soon as Hitler allowed Kahr,
Seisser and Lossow to leave during
the middle of the night, they raised
the alarm and informed the police
and army.
Hitler decided to go ahead with his
planned march on Munich. He
counted on the support of
Ludendorff and that the army would
not fire on them because of this.
9th November 1923 – the march on
Munich
Hitler with 3,000 supporters
decided to march to the army
barracks where they would seize
guns and soldiers.
However, the march was blocked
by the army who, after a brief
stand off, fired on the Nazis. 16
Nazis were killed and Hitler and
Ludendorff were soon arrested in
the chaos that ensued.
Hitler would now go to trial.
February 1924 – Hitler’s trial
Hitler was charged with treason.
Hitler used the trial as a national
platform to make his case impressing his
audience with his nationalistic views.
This established him as a leading
extreme right wing politician.
Because of his charismatic performance
at his trial, the judges treated him
leniently sentencing him to 5 years
imprisonment with an opportunity for
parole in 9 months.
February to December 1924 – Hitler in
prison
Hitler was placed in Landsberg Prison
and was given a comfortable cell with
the luxury of unlimited visitors.
It was in prison that he wrote his
autobiography Mein Kampf [My
Struggle] in which he set out his main
ideas.
It was also in prison that the Nazis
decided to change tactics and win
power by legal means rather than seize
it with violence.
What do the statements say about the Munich
Beer Hall Putsch – success or failure?
Hitler was mistaken in his
support from the army
and police.
Hitler got much public
support during his
Munich march.
Hitler served out his
sentence in a comfortable
jail
Many Nazi supporters got
light sentences.
Hitler’s time in prison
allowed him to write
Mein Kampf
Hitler changed his
strategy to legal means.
Opposition within the
Nazi Party melted.
Hitler was mistaken in his
support from the
Bavarian government.
Hitler’s trial made him
into a national figure.
The Putsch failed and 16
Nazis were killed.
Choose your own plenary
To show how much progress you have made this lesson, choose any of
the following plenaries to complete and share with the rest of the
class. You can do as many of these activities as you like.
 Tweet my lesson- no more than 140 characters.
 Write a
Facebook status for Hitler – either during his trial or
when he is in prison.
 Choose
five words that sum up
what you have learnt this
lesson and explain why you have chosen them. Your chosen words
must all start with the same letter.