The Munich Putsch
After WWI a number of different groups tried to overthrow democracy
in Germany. One of these was the Nazi Party, who, in 1923, tried to take
control of Bavaria in Southern Germany. In 1919, the Communists, led by
Eugen Levine had taken control of this state, but they had been defeated
by the Freikorps. A year later the right-wing Gustav von Kahr had
become leader of Bavaria.
8th November
On 8th November von Kahr was to address a public meeting at the Bügerbräu beer
hall. With him was General von Lossow, the commander of the Bavarian army. At
8.30 pm the hall was surrounded by the SA (Sturm Abteilung Hitler’s bully boys)
and Hitler entered with an armed escort. Hitler
announced that Kahr and Lossow were under arrest.
General Ludendorff, who had commanded the German
army towards the end of the war, supported Hitler, and
this gave Hitler some respectability.
What was Hitler trying to do? He believed that the time
was right for a Nazi take-over of power. The German
people had felt betrayed over the Treaty of Versailles and
then had had to suffer the humiliation of the Ruhr
invasion and the chaos of hyperinflation. They were also
angry that the new Chancellor of Germany, Gustav
Stresemann, had started paying reparations again. Hitler believed the German
people wanted a strong new government.
9th November
Hitler was copying the example of Mussolini, the Italian fascist leader. In 1922
Mussolini led the March on Rome to seize power in Italy. However, Mussolini had
the support of the Italian king, and so the Italian army did not stop Mussolini’s
Blackshirts from marching into Rome. Hitler soon discovered the situation in
Munich was very different. Once he was out of the beer hall General von Lossow
organised the army to stop Hitler. Kahr, now he was free, supported von Lossow.
In the afternoon Hitler, Ludendorff and their supporters set off on a march through
Munich. They had few weapons. 2000 weapons which had been secretly supplied by
the German army had no firing pins. In the Odeonplatz they were met by a group
of Bavarian state troopers. In the fight that followed 16 Nazis were killed along
with four troopers. Hitler’s colleague Hermann Göring was seriously wounded.
Ludendorff was arrested at the scene. Hitler stayed in the background and fled the
scene, but was arrested 48 hour later.