The Munich Putsch: success or failure?

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The Munich Putsch was a short term failure, but in the long term it proved to be a success and provided a major turning point in history in the form of Mein Kampf.  The Putsch itself was a failure as many Nazis were wounded and even killed.  Hitler’s image was subsequently tarnished as he was the first one to run away.  He departed promptly in a yellow vehicle as the March on Munich became a violent fracas.  This ruined his image to an extent, because he was meant to be seen as a powerful leader who feared nothing.  The way the Nazis were easily brushed aside at the March on Munich would have had a crippling effect on the whole Nazis Party’s moral, this was not helped by the fact that their leader was in prison.  The whole failure would have also made the Nazis a laughing stock amongst the German Government and perceived them as powerless.  The Munich Putsch could however be seen as a success in the long term, because the whole incident put the Nazis on the national scene.  The Nazis Party was initially a small party only known by few, but as a result of the Munich Putsch and the trial that followed it, The Nazis Party was now a house-hold name, as was its leader Adolf Hitler.  The propaganda that could be used by the Nazis was great.  They could say that nothing would defeat them and they were strong.  They could also say their leader Hitler was brave and not even the dislocated shoulder he suffered would halt him from taking the Nazis forward.  The nine month stay in prison that followed the trial gave Hitler time to write Mein Kampf.  This became the Bible of the Nazis.  This was a huge step and the writing of Mein Kampf ultimately changed history.  The trial allowed Hitler to give his powerful and influential speeches, and also the way the Nazis stood up to the government even when greatly outnumbered earned them public sympathy and also gained them support from other parties.  This was why the Munich Putsch was a failure in the short term, but a success in the long term.

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Hitler instigated his Putsch in a Beerhall on the 8th of November 1923.  He, along with Goering and 600 stormtroopers, arrived and invaded a meeting held by the Bavarian Prime Minister Kahr at a beerhall in Munich.  Hitler then took Kahr and his ministers into a side room and held them at gunpoint.  He declared a revolution and persuaded Kahr and his ministers to support him in overthrowing the Reich Government.  Hitler decided to undertake this Putsch for numerous reasons.  Firstly, Weimar seemed to be collapsing and the invasion of the Ruhr and Hyperinflation added to Germany’s woes.  Also there ...

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