The early Nazi Party and the Munich Putsch
The early Nazi Party
| January 1919 | Anton Drexler founded the German Workers’ Party (DAP). |
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| September 1919 | Hitler first attended a DAP meeting. He shared its views against the communists and socialists (for bringing down the Kaiser), the Weimar Republic (for accepting the Treaty of Versailles) and the Jews (whom they blamed for undermining the economy). |
| February 1920 | Hitler became Drexler’s right-hand man. Together they announced the 25 Point Programme, which included scrapping the Treaty of Versailles, expanding Germany’s borders and taking German citizenship away from Jews. |
| June 1920 | Hitler was an energetic, passionate speaker, and his speeches (especially his rants against the Treaty of Versailles) attracted more people to meetings. Membership grew to 1,100. |
| August 1920 | Hitler had the party renamed the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP, or Nazi Party) and adopted the swastika as its emblem. |
| 1921 | Hitler pushed Drexler aside and became party leader (Führer). He set up a private army to protect the party: the SA (Brownshirts), who also beat up opponents, especially communists. |
The party was small and met in beer halls in Munich, in Bavaria.
What caused the Munich Putsch?
Putsch - a rebellion, or a violent attempt to destroy the government.
| Popularity of the Nazis | Weimar government weakness |
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Hitler thought people were so fed up that they would support a new leader.
What happened?
- 8 November 1923 - Hitler and the SA burst into a meeting Kahr was holding in a Munich beer hall. At gunpoint, Kahr and Lossow agreed to support him. The plan was to take over Munich and then march on Berlin.
- Kahr and Lossow were allowed to leave, and Kahr alerted the authorities.
- 9 November 1923 - Hitler, Ludendorff and around 2,000 Nazis marched through Munich. The police opened fire: 16 Nazis were killed. Hitler fled, injured, and was arrested two days later.
- The Putsch was easily stopped, and the Nazi Party was banned.
The trial and its impact
Hitler was sentenced to 5 years in prison (the minimum sentence for treason), but only served 9 months. This suggests the judges had right-wing sympathies.
He got very useful publicity from his trial, and wrote Mein Kampf ("My Struggle") while in prison. Before the Putsch he was only well known in Bavaria; afterwards he was famous throughout Germany.
Was the Munich Putsch a success or a failure?
| Failure | Success |
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The Munich Putsch can be an example of political violence if the question goes up to 1923.
Exam tip: 12-mark questions
These ask you to compare two factors and say which was more important, e.g. "Which of the following was a greater threat to the Weimar Republic in the years 1918-23: economic problems or political violence? Explain your answer."
- An introduction
- A PEEL paragraph on each factor (Point, Evidence, Explain, Link)
- A conclusion with your overall judgement
Be careful with the dates in the question. If it says 1919-20, you can’t discuss the invasion of the Ruhr, hyperinflation or the Munich Putsch.