What do you think is happening in
this picture?
Lesson Objectives
You will learn:
• Why Hitler attempted a Putsch
• What happened during the Putsch
You will be able to answer exam questions about
the events of the Munich Putsch.
The Munich Putsch
8th & 9th November 1923
Was the Putsch a Success or
Failure?
There are two interpretations of the Putsch:
• It was a failure for the Nazis. The Putsch did not
succeed.
• It was a success for the
Nazis. It launched the
Nazis onto the national
scene, and made Hitler
famous.
Where is Munich?
• It is the main city in
the German state of
Bavaria.
Glossary
Putsch
Reich
Sudden armed uprising. A political
revolt
German Empire
National Socialist
Party
General Ludendorff
The full name of the Nazi party
Gustav Kahr
Prime minister of Bavaria. Head of
the Bavarian government.
Respected German war hero
Gustav Stresemann Chancellor of Germany.
SA
Stormtroopers or Brownshirts.
Hitler’s private army within the Nazi
Party.
Background
• Hitler had been leader of the Nazi party since 1921.
• The party was based in Munich.
• The Nazis had grown in strength, but most of
their support was in Bavaria.
• By 1922 the Nazi party had 3,000 members
and the Prussian state government had
made it an illegal organisation.
• It was organised along military lines.
In 1921 Hitler set up his own private
army called the SA,
(Sturm-Abteilung).
What were Hitler’s aims?
• To seize power in Germany by starting a revolt
in Bavaria.
Why did Hitler plan a revolt in
Munich?
• Nazis had grown in strength since 1919, but
their main support was still in Bavaria.
• They had 3,000 members in Bavaria.
• The Bavarian government was right-wing. Hitler
thought the Bavarian government would support
him.
• Gustav Kahr, (head of the Bavarian state
government) had been plotting against the Reich
government. Hitler wanted to force Kahr to act,
as he was angry about the hesitation.
Why did he attempt the Putsch in
November 1923?
• He thought the time was right as he felt that
calling off the passive resistance in the Ruhr was
a sign of weakness of the Reich government
– a betrayal of Germany.
• The army was right-wing. The Nazis thought it
would support them against the government.
• He thought the right-wing Bavarian government
would support him.
Task: What actually happened?
In pairs
1. Carefully read the story of the Munich Putsch.
Discuss and agree what were the main events
of the day in chronological order.
2. Write a bullet point list of the events you have
agreed on.
3. Colour your list with:
one colour showing when things were going
well for the Nazis and
another colour when things went badly.
Check your learning:
Have you learnt:
• Why Hitler attempted a Putsch
• What happened during the Putsch
Do you feel you are able to answer exam
questions about the events of the Munich
Putsch?
Exam Question
Source B is about the Munich Putsch
Source B
In Bavaria, Hitler and General von Ludendorff saw a chance
to overthrow the Bavarian Government in Munich. Their
rising began in a beer cellar where the Bavarian governor,
von Kahr, was making a speech. The Nazis then marched
towards the town centre.
2. Describe the events of the Munich Putsch of
November 1923.
REMEMBER: Source and Recall
Next lesson
You will learn about the results of the Munich
Putsch:
•
•
How the revolutionaries were treated.
How it changed the Nazi party