Munich putsch

• Munich Putsch (PCH)


  The Nazis' first real attempt to seize power in Germany, a forced push for power by right-wing groups
• The Munich Putsch was a humiliating failure for the Nazis
• Causes of the Munich Putsch


  • Long-term right-wing groups unhappy with the Weimar Republic
  • Governor of Bavaria Gustav Von Kahr shared some of the Nazis' beliefs
  • Influenced by Mussolini's Italian fascists
  • Germany in chaos due to hyperinflation and French occupation
• The Nazis' plan for the Munich Putsch


  1. Hitler and the SA would take Von Kahr, the Army and police leaders hostage

  2. Force them to support Hitler's push for power

  3. The SA would take control of the Munich Army Barracks

  4. The Nazis and supporters would march on Berlin to overthrow the government
• The plan was ambitious but not realistic
• Beer Keller/Beer Hall


  • Wide open spaces with long benches, used as meeting places
• What happened during the Munich Putsch

  1. Hitler burst into the Bürgerbräukeller beer hall with 600 Stormtroopers

  2. Forced Von Kahr, Seisser and Lossow to declare their support at gunpoint

  3. The SA took over the local police and army HQ

  4. The SA failed to secure the main Army Barracks

  5. The Army remained loyal to the Weimar government

  6. Von Kahr and the others withdrew their support

  7. The Nazis launched an assault on the streets of Munich

  8. The police, army and people of Munich sided with the Weimar government

  9. A volley of fire left 4 police and 14 Nazis dead

  10. Hitler was thrown to the ground and arrested
• Outcomes of the Munich Putsch

  • Hitler realised he needed to attain power by legal means
  • Hitler's trial gave him favourable public publicity
  • Hitler was found guilty of treason but only sentenced to 5 years in prison, serving 9 months
  • This allowed Hitler to write Mein Kampf and reform the party
  • The Nazis ran in the 1924 election under a different name, gaining 32 seats
• Historian Richard J. Evans: 'It seems likely that the Bavarian authorities offered Hitler leniency in return for his agreement to take responsibility. The court grounded its leniency in the fact that the participants were led by pure patriotic spirit and noble will. The judgment was scandalous even by the standards of the Weimar Judiciary.'
• The Munich Putsch was a shambolic failure that left 4 police and 14 Nazis dead
• Following the Munich Putsch, the Nazis decided to concentrate on gaining power legally, a significant change in tactics