the kapp putsch

• In March 1920, right-wing politician and journalist Wolfgang Kapp

  gathered around 5000 men (Free Corps), mainly police and ex-soldiers,

  and took over the capital, Berlin.
• why

  He wanted to take over the whole country and recover the land lost in

  the Treaty of Versailles.
• President Ebert and the government fled Berlin. However, Kapp didn’t have the workers’ support and they went on strike, resulting in no gas, water, electricity or trains.
• After only 100 hours as Germany's leader, Kapp fled abroad. Ebert and his government returned to Berlin.
• What Was the Kapp Putsch?

  The Kapp Putsch was a right-wing attempted coup that took place in March 1920. It aimed to overthrow the Weimar Republic and replace it with a military dictatorship. It was led by Wolfgang Kapp and General Lüttwitz, with support from the Freikorps (ex-soldiers and paramilitary groups).
• 1.Causes- Treaty of Versailles (1919)

  • The right-wing hated the treaty, especially the military restrictions (Germany’s army reduced to 100,000).
  • The Freikorps were ordered to disband — this angered them and triggered the putsch.
• 2.Causes- Weakness of the Weimar Republic

  • Seen by many conservatives as "November criminals" who had betrayed Germany.
  • Many people distrusted democracy and wanted a return to strong authoritarian rule.
• 3. Causes-Freikorps' Anger

  • The Freikorps were ultra-nationalist and felt betrayed by the Weimar government.
  • They had helped crush left-wing uprisings (like the Spartacist Revolt), but now were being forced to disband.
• 📍13 March 1920:

  • 5,000 Freikorps marched into Berlin and seized control.
  • The government (led by Chancellor Ebert) fled to Dresden and then Stuttgart.
  • Wolfgang Kapp, a nationalist politician, declared himself Chancellor of a new right-wing government.

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• 📍But the Putsch Failed – Why?

  • The army refused to stop the Freikorps. General Seeckt famously said:“Reichswehr does not fire on Reichswehr.”
  • However, the workers of Berlin went on strike, organised by trade unions and socialist parties.
  • They shut down gas, water, electricity, transport — nothing could function.
  • After 3days, the putsch collapsed and Kapp fled.
• 1. Consequences-Failure of the Putsch

  • The workers’ general strike was a huge success.
  • The Weimar Government returned, and democracy survived (for now).
• 2.Consequences- Limited Punishment

  • Most rebels went unpunished.
  • Only one judge gave a guilty verdict to any of the 705 people put on trial.
  • This shows that many judges and elites still favoured the right and were hostile to the Republic.
• 3. Consequences-Revealed Weakness of the Government

  • The government couldn’t rely on the army.
  • Their survival depended on workers and unions, not military power.
• Significance of the Kapp Putsch (Grade 9 Insight)

  • The biggest threat from the right the Weimar Republic faced in its early years.
  • Showed the government’s vulnerability: had to rely on workers, not the military or judiciary.
  • Revealed deep divisions in German society — especially between left-wing workers and right-wing elites.
  • Many historians see it as a turning point, showing that the biggest threat to Weimar came from the right, not the left.