Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2024
First exams 2026
The Munich Putsch, 1923 (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Natasha Smith
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
The Consequences & Opportunities of the Munich Putsch - Summary
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, and write his book Mein Kampf ('My Struggle'). He needed to make the NSDAP electable to gain ultimate power rather than use illegal methods like putsches. |
What Caused the Munich Putsch?
The causes of the Munich Putsch were a mixture of short-, mid-and long-term events
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 |
The Events of the Munich Putsch
Numerous people were important in the events of the Munich Putsch
Who were the key people involved in the Munich Putsch?
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 |
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Hitler aimed to get the support of Kahr, Seisser and Lossow for the NSDAP’s putsch
Hitler knew that, if he established control of Bavaria, it would be easier for him to take over Berlin
What happened in the Munich Putsch?
The Munich Putsch failed and Hitler was arrested for high treason
Worked Example
Give two things you can infer from Source A about Hitler’s aims for the Munich Putsch in 1923
4 marks
Source A: An extract from the speech that Hitler delivered at the Bergerbrau Keller on 8th November 1923 “The Bavarian government is removed. I propose that a new Bavarian government shall be formed consisting of a Regent [a temporary monarch] and a Prime Minister who will have dictatorial powers. I propose Herr von Kahr as Regent and Herr Pohner as Prime Minister. The national government of the November Criminals and the Reich President in Berlin are declared to be removed. I propose that, until we can bring the November Criminals to account, the national government will be taken over by me. Ludendorff will take over the leadership of the German National Army, Lossow will be German Minister for the Armed Forces, Seisser will be the German Police Minister” |
Answers:
i) What I can infer:
I can infer that Hitler wanted to gain ultimate power over Germany (1)
Details in the source that tell me this:
“the national government will be taken over by me” (1)
ii) What I can infer:
I can also infer that Hitler saw the putsch as a way of getting revenge on the Weimar government (1)
Details in the source that tell me this:
“The national government of the November Criminals and the Reich President in Berlin are declared to be removed” (1)
Why did the Munich Putsch Fail?
Hitler left the beer hall placing Ludendorff in charge of watching the Bavarian officials
Ludendorff failed in this role by being persuaded to let Kahr, Seisser and Lossow go. Without their support, the putsch had no official backing and the army suppressed the SA with ease
Hitler continued with the putsch after learning he had lost the support of the Bavarian officials
Hitler and the SA only had 2,000 guns. This meant the NSDAP and their supporters could not fight the German army when they attacked
The army remained loyal to the government despite the inclusion of General Ludendorff in the putsch
Hitler rushed the execution of the Munich Putsch in an attempt to capitalise on the hyperinflation crisis
If Hitler had delayed the putsch, this would have allowed for better preparation and a bigger chance of success
Hitler needed to gain more support from the Bavarian people. Most citizens in Munich did not stop the uprising but also did not actively support it
The Consequences of the Munich Putsch
After his arrest, Hitler and General Ludendorff went on trial for committing high treason
Treason is one of the most serious crimes a person can commit
In February 1924, Hitler represented himself in court
Usually, a person would hire a lawyer to represent their case in court and persuade the judge of their innocence
Hitler wanted to use his oration skills to defend himself
Although Hitler was found guilty, his approach to the trial rewarded him with successes
Outcomes of the Munich 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 |
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Causes & consequences of the Munich Putsch
Creation of Mein Kampf
In Landsberg Prison, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf (‘My Struggle’)
He considered what the core values of the Nazi Party should be
He dictated the piece for Rudolph Hess, who later became a deputy in the party, to write
He published Mein Kampf in July 1925
Key beliefs in Mein Kampf
A key belief in | Summary of the belief | Nationalist or socialist? |
|---|---|---|
The superiority of the Aryan race | Hitler believed the German race was the best in the world. He was against Germans marrying the Jewish people as he stated this weakened the Aryan race | Nationalist |
Social Darwinism | The pseudo-science that some races are better than others. He believed the Aryan race was the best and the Jewish race was the worst. He stated that the Jewish people conspired to take down the Aryan race. Hitler believed the Jewish people dominated industry and infiltrated politics through parties such as the SPD | Nationalist |
Lebensraum | This means ‘living space’ in German. Hitler theorised that the Aryan race needed more territory so that the population could grow. He believed this space should come from Eastern Europe by taking over parts of the Russian empire | Nationalist |
Führerprinzip | The concept was that Germany needed an autocratic leader with ultimate power. He believed that democracy was weak and totalitarianism could keep the people happy | Nationalist |
The restoration of traditional values | Hitler saw the ‘Golden Years’ of Weimar Germany as a corruption of traditional values. He wanted to reintroduce strong family values, Christianity and realism in art and culture | Nationalist |
Redistributing the wealth from industry and land | Hitler believed that landowners and factory owners should have their profits taken from them. The German workers would benefit from this money | Socialist |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
When comparing Mein Kampf to the Twenty-Five Point Programme, it is clear that Hitler had moved the party firmly towards nationalism. While there were still elements of socialism, this was more in name rather than in policy. This move to the extreme right-wing created a clearer political identity. It also shrunk its potential support base as Mein Kampf made NSDAP’s policies more extreme.
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