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.

8 th 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.

8 th 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.

9 th 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.