The Munich Putsch, 1923 (Edexcel GCSE History)

By November 1923, Hitler decided that the NSDAP was ready to take control of Germany. Support for the Nazi Party had increased due to the Weimar government’s failure to deal with the hyperinflation crisis. Many people were looking to extremist parties for economic and political solutions.

Hitler had studied the failed putsches launched by the Freikorps and the Spartacists. He had learnt that a putsch needed the support of the military and the police to succeed. The inclusion of General Ludendorff, a respected military veteran, in the putsch aimed to rally the support of the army. Hitler also needed the backing of the police.

Historians agree that the execution of the Munich Putsch was disastrous. Hitler and Ludendorff committed multiple mistakes, which led to the failure of the putsch and both men’s arrest.

Whilst the Munich Putsch failed, the event changed Hitler’s approach to gaining power. Hitler used his trial for high treason as a propaganda opportunity. The trial was widely reported and Hitler gained a vast amount of popularity. Hitler represented himself in the trial. His speech impressed the judge so much that he reduced Hitler's sentence and Hitler avoided deportation to his native Austria. His nine months’ imprisonment caused Hitler to look critically at his ideas and the NSDAP. He needed to make the NSDAP electable to gain ultimate power rather than use illegal methods like putsches.

Causes of the Munich Putsch

Short-term

Mid-term

Long-term

The French invasion of the Ruhr caused many shortages of goods in Germany

Mussolini, the fascist leader of Italy, inspired Hitler. Mussolini led his successful ‘March on Rome’ in 1922. He implemented a putsch using his paramilitary force

The people were angry with the Weimar government from its beginnings. The Treaty of Versailles in 1919 was a ‘dolchstoss’ for many Germans

The hyperinflation crisis reached its worst state towards the end of 1923. People resented the Weimar government for how they handled the crisis

From 1920, the NSDAP was growing in support and popularity in Munich and Bavaria

Members behind the Munich Putsch

Bavarian government officials

Adolf Hitler - Leader of the NSDAP and key organiser of the Munich Putsch

Gustav von Kahr - Leader of the State Government of Bavaria

General Ludendorff - World War One war hero and conspirator of the putsch

Colonel von Seisser - Head of the Bavarian Police

Ernst Röhm - Leader of the SA. Responsible for securing the local army and police headquarters in Munich

General von Lossow - Head of the German Army in Bavaria

Hermann Goering - Key member of the NSDAP and participated in the putsch

Julius Streicher - Key member of the NSDAP and participated in the putsch

Positive consequences for Hitler

Negative consequences for Hitler

As an Austrian citizen, Hitler’s punishment could have been deportation. He avoided this by impressing the right-wing judges. Hitler received a prison sentence of five years at Landsberg Prison

Hitler was convicted of high treason. His putsch was unsuccessful in achieving its aims

Multiple newspapers across Germany reported on Hitler's trial. Hitler became a national celebrity

The Munich authorities decided to ban the NSDAP. Support for the party dropped. They briefly changed their name and won 32 seats in the Reichstag at the May 1924 election

In prison, Hitler wrote a book called Mein Kampf (‘My Struggle’), which formalises his ideas and a new approach to how to govern Germany

Many Germans believed Hitler had missed his opportunity to govern Germany. The appointment of Gustav Stresemann marked the improvement of Germany’s economy and government

Hitler had learnt that violent putsches did not work. After being released from prison, he considered how to use the Weimar legal system to gain ultimate power in Germany