The Beer Putsch (also known as the Hitler-Ludendorff putsch) is an attempt to seize power by the NSDAP led by Hitler and General Ludendorff on November 9, 1923 in Munich.
The spring of 1923 was marked by severe crisis in Germany. Already in January, French troops entered the Ruhr, the most important German industrial region. The depreciation of money has reached fantastic numbers. People were seized by apathy, despair. Strikes, hunger and anti-war demonstrations began to occur more and more often.
On April 30, the leader of the National Socialist Workers' Party of Germany (NSDAP) Adolf Hitler called a rally and announced that the Nazis were ready to restore order in the country. Despite the ban of the Bavarian government, the Nazi army soon gathered in the outskirts of Munich Oberwiesenfelde. There were not only Munich residents, but also members of the paramilitary unions who had gathered from various places.
But they all stood in complete inactivity, although they had both rifles and light machine guns. Hitler in a soldier's helmet and with an Iron Cross on his chest rushed across the field, waiting for a symbol from Rem. Together with him were the commanders of the paramilitary forces Weber, Gregor Strasser, Lt Rossbach, Kriebel and many others. But Rem did not give a sign, meanwhile General Lossow scolded him. Despite the advice of Kriebel and Strasser, Hitler did not dare to move, fearing the regular units of the Reichswehr.
The discouraged Bavarian Nazi leader disappeared from the political horizon for the entire summer. It appeared only in the fall, when power in Bavaria was actually concentrated in the hands of a triumvirate: Karr, the commander of the Bavarian troops, General Lossow, and Colonel Seisser, the policeman president. The Triumvirate was initially hostile to the central government in Berlin.
In this situation, Hitler and his accomplices again and again tried to probe whether General Lossow, acting from behind the scenes Karr, Colonel Seisser and such powerful figures as the Ruhr industrialist Stinnes, the leader of the "Pan-German" Klass, the commander of the Reichswehr, General von Seeckt, would agree, in the case of the "campaign against Berlin" proclaimed by the right-wing organizations, to provide the Nazis with the necessary part of the government for their services in suppressing the unrest. However, they did not receive a clear answer.
In early September, just three weeks after the fall of the Kuno government, the organizational cooperation of the Bavarian right-wing unions, including the NSDAP, which emerged in January 1923, took shape in the "German Combat Alliance". The political leader of this union was Hitler, the military leader of the union was retired Lieutenant Colonel Hermann Kriebel.
Hitler and his inner circle, who had more than once instilled in their non-commissioned Fuehrer hope for the upcoming putsch against the Weimar Republic, again tried to use the predicament of the all-German government for a coup d'état.
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They planned for September 27, 1923, 14 large rallies in Munich, at which, according to the authorities, they intended to send a signal to "strike." But the state government preempted him by banning these gatherings, as well as appointing Carr General Commissioner of Bavaria and transferring to him executive power of an emergency nature.
The monarchist Karr, apparently, also dreamed of overthrowing the Berlin politicians and restoring the monarchy in Bavaria, that is, the House of Vitelsbachs, after which he would completely separate from Germany. It is no coincidence that his deputy, Aufsess, called on October 20 to "march on Berlin" and insulted President Ebert, a saddler by profession. Four days later, General Lossow, who was also one of Carr's closest confidants, declared the need to enter Berlin and establish a "national dictatorship."
But Carr and his henchmen were guided by joint actions with General Seckt, who had impressive means of power. On November 3, Carr sent his other confidant, the chief of the Bavarian police, Colonel Seisser, to Berlin, with the task of explaining to the Reichswehr commander his plan for establishing a "free national dictatorship, independent of parliament," which would, with its "decisive measures", act "against the socialist scum." Seeckt remarked on this score: "This is my goal … The difference is in pace, not in purpose."
With a firm intention to subordinate all opposition paramilitary formations to Lossov's command and thereby ensure maximum independence for himself in a joint action with Seckt, on November 6, Carr convened a meeting of representatives of the so-called domestic associations to directly prepare a decisive strike against Berlin. On behalf of the German Combat League, only its military leader Kriebel took part in the meeting. The political leader of this alliance, Hitler, was not even invited.
And of course, Hitler and his closest associates were extremely angry about this. They were in no way willing to allow themselves to be pushed aside now that absolutely everything was at stake for them. At Hitler's insistence, Ludendorff appeared before the Karr-Lossow-Seisser triumvirate on the afternoon of November 8 and demanded that the German Combat League be included in the political planning of the conspiracy. When this demand was rejected, Hitler had no choice but to force the "rebellious bosses" to admit the participation of the fascists in the planned coup d'etat with a stunning maneuver.
The opportune moment presented itself that very evening during a rally of domestic forces in the Bürgerbräukeller beer hall. On it, Carr, justifying in advance the planned anti-republican action, spoke in connection with the 5th anniversary of the November Revolution in front of ministers, officials, the military and businessmen with a report "From People to Nation."
At about 21 o'clock a dump appeared at the door of the huge hall, loud shouts were heard, beer mugs rolled from overturned tables with a clang on the floor. Before Carr had time to collect his papers, several dozen people in brown uniform burst into the hall; there are swastika bands on the sleeves, steel helmets on their heads. Accompanied by 2 guards, Hitler rushed forward. When he reached the stage, he jumped into a chair and began to demand silence. The rumble of voices did not stop, and he ordered one of the bodyguards to shoot at the ceiling. The shot silenced everyone. Plaster could be heard falling from the ceiling.
In the silence that followed, Hitler shouted that a "national revolution" had begun and the hall was surrounded by stormtroopers with heavy weapons. Then he uttered a few phrases about the "greatness of the moment." Keeping an appearance of calm, Karr and his entourage withdrew with Hitler to the next room.
As soon as the door closed behind them, a restrained laugh was heard in the hall, exclamations were heard: "Comedy!", "Theater!" Then stormtroopers were taken out of the hall of the Prime Minister of Bavaria Knilling and 2-3 other prominent persons. Goering, the commander of the pogromists, standing on the podium, fired one more shot at the ceiling. The noise began to subside. Then Goering, according to an eyewitness, "in a loud voice, rather harshly and energetically" declared: the blow was directed not against Herr General Commissioner, not against the Reichswehr, but against the "Marxist-Jewish government" in Berlin.
After the confusion, during which Hitler, every now and then running out of the adjacent room, fired a couple more times from his Browning into the air, it was proclaimed that the three "strong men" of Bavaria Karr, Lossow and Seisser entered into an alliance with the Nazi Fuehrer and led with him and together with General Ludendorff, they created the "national government" of Germany.
The new ministers, first of all Carr, who was named “Regent” of Bavaria, made short but encouraging speeches and assured the “Reich Chancellor” Hitler of their loyalty. The freshly baked "Reich Minister of War" Lossow said a toast in honor of the last minute "Commander-in-Chief" Ludendorff: "Your Excellency's wish is my law! I will gather an army to fight! " Hitler himself spoke of the "march to Berlin". He announced that the "November criminals" led by President Ebert would be brought before the "national tribunal" and shot three hours after the verdict was passed.
That was the end of the program of the "national revolution" for this evening. Hitler hastened to leave to inspect some strongholds. Ludendorff remained on the stage of the beer hall as a symbol of "national rebellion". Enthusiastic toasts and shouts of "Heil Hitler!" Were constantly heard. Meanwhile, Karr, Lossow and Seisser had disappeared almost imperceptibly and went to the nearby barracks of the 19th Infantry Regiment to discuss the situation.
In the morning the population of Munich learned from the newspapers that Bavaria had freed itself from the "yoke of the Berlin Jews" and that the "head of government" Hitler would soon restore order in Berlin. When people took to the streets to see how the "national revolution" was being carried out, they saw posters everywhere: Karr, Lossow and Seisser brought to everyone's attention that the word they had given to Hitler in Bürgerbreukeller had been taken from them by force and, as a result, nothing hence, they dissociate themselves from Hitler and Ludendorff.
As it turned out, during the night conference, the triumvirate came to the conclusion that Hitler's putsch had no chance of success. When, moreover, a message came from Berlin that, in view of the Munich events, Ebert had endowed executive power (which still belonged to the Minister of the Reichswehr) to none other than Seeckt, Karr and his partners understood that this Nazi adventure had to be got out as soon as possible. Upon learning of this, Hitler fell into such wild rage that he could not overcome it for a whole decade: "paying" on June 30, 1934 with Rem, he gave the order to kill Kara and Lossov as well.
Hitler tried to turn the triumphal march in Munich, scheduled for the first half of the day on November 9, into a demonstration of protest against the three "old gentlemen", whom he still hoped to force to stand under his banner. But Carr and his accomplices had to take serious action. Regular units and police were mobilized to disperse the riots. Quite simply, we prepared ourselves to resist the Nazis.
However, Hitler, to whom his thugs flocked from everywhere, could not back up. I had to at 11 o'clock in the morning after long delays to move at the head of the column towards the city center.
When the Nazi column with Hitler, Ludendorff (he was convinced that they would not shoot at him!), Kriebel, Goering and other famous Nazis, marching in the first rank, turned off the aristocratic Residenzstrasse and approached the Gallery of Generals, the path was blocked by a police chain … Shortly before that, the Nazis were able to break through the same barrier on the bridge over the Isar River, and therefore they ignored the warning to stop and disperse.
There were clearly fewer police officers, historians later calculated that the proportion was astounding - 1 to 30! The column stopped. And suddenly a shot rang out. To this day, it is not known who fired first. After that two minutes, the skirmish continued. Upal Scheibner-Richter - he was killed. Behind him is Hitler, who injured his arm in the fall. In total, 4 people were killed by the police, and 16 by the Nazis. And then it all ended, the conspirators fled. Hitler was taken away by a certain Walter Schultz, then a Nazi doctor, to the Hanfstaengle estate. Only Ludendorff continued to step forward. He was arrested at Odeonplatz. Two hours later, Rem surrendered, who captured the Reichswehr barracks with his stormtroopers.
The Nazi coup failed. The elimination of several still active nests of stormtroopers on the evening of November 9, during which Rem was also captured, took place without any effort. However, Hitler's defeat also diminished Carr's chances of establishing his dictatorship.
Later, many politicians retrospectively assessed the putsch as an event that served the Nazis with self-promotion and gave them the opportunity to impersonate "heroes" Thus, the head of the "Steel Helmet" Theodor Dusterberg wrote in 1929 that the beer putsch "actually did not harm Hitler ".
Hitler's trial began on February 26, 1924 and ended on April 1.
“The accused, wrote publicist Ernst Julius Gumbel, about this trial, became the heads of the proceedings. They themselves determine when to expel the audience from the hall. Through their proxies, they organized the issuance of admission tickets so that their voter-engaging propaganda received the necessary resonance. Hitler vigorously interrogated the witnesses, and the audience rewarded him with loud applause.
How confident the accused feel can be seen from Kriebel's words: "I earned my laurels as a conspirator against the state during the Kapp putsch." And Pener even mockingly said: "If you call what I have done treason, then I have been doing this for 5 years already." Hitler and his friends rightly argued that they were only continuing what Carr and Lossow had begun. Thus the accused became accusers. The official prosecutor became their defender."
The Nazi leader sought to use the process for self-promotion. In his last word, Hitler did not confine himself to outlining the fascist program of the "unbridled policy of force" and the "defeat of Marxism", but raised the question, who is called to carry out this program? Hitler said that he alone rushed to storm the republic. "The one who was born to be a dictator, he shouted, pointing at himself, he cannot be thrown back, he will not allow himself to be thrown away, he will make his way forward!"
The court sentenced Hitler and two of his accomplices to 5 years of fortress, offsetting the time they had already spent in prison. Ludendorff and other participants in the bloody events were generally acquitted.
In the fortress of Landsberg-on-Lech, Hitler was given an apartment, where he took turns receiving "for a report" his assistants. Although the duration of visits was officially limited to six hours a week, he was tacitly allowed to receive visitors for six hours a day. Hitler served a total of 13 months before and after the trial (under the sentence for "high treason" only 9 months!).
At first, Mauricius was Hitler's orderly and at the same time Hitler's secretary, but then he was replaced by Rudolf Hess, who voluntarily (!) Returned to Germany (after the putsch he fled to Austria) and voluntarily went to prison in order to help his Fuhrer.
So the fortress turned for Hitler into a kind of club. With his entourage, he discussed tactical issues of restoring the banned party and storm troopers, deploying Nazi propaganda, using new methods of intimidation and violence. The director of the prison, who sympathized with the Nazis, was also present at such conversations.
While in prison, Hitler dictated most of the sections of the book "Mein Kampf" ("My Struggle"), which later became a kind of bible of German fascism.
I. Mussky
