How did the Munich Putsch contribute to Hitler’s rise to power?

As a result of the Munich Putsch Hitler spent nine months in the Landsberg prison and he was banned from speaking publicly. The Nazi party was also banned. However, whilst in prison Hitler learnt many lessons. Firstly, he learnt that the only way to get power was to stand in elections and once in power destroy the system from the inside - use democracy to destroy democracy. This is how he eventually became Fuhrer of Germany, when he became Chancellor and then passed the act enabling him to become a dictator. Secondly, he realised that he needed the support of the army and the business community. The army had refused to support Hitler in the Munich Putsch, resulting in its failure. When he was released from prison he won the support of the army by reassuring them that he would not ignite a future war in Germany if he got into power, and he promised to deal with Communists and expand the army. He won the support of the business community by saying he would reduce the power of workers and weaken the trade unions.

Finally, while in prison, Hitler wrote ‘Mein Kampf’ (My Struggle), which allowed him to work out his own beliefs. It also provided a ‘Bible’ for the Nazi party.  Hitler had become a politician due to the time he spent in prison thinking about why he failed in the Munich Putsch.  All of these things helped Hitler gain power in 1932, and if he wasn’t sent to prison in 1923, he’d have probably failed in another Putsch and had a worse fate than being sent to prison for nine months. The normal punishment for treason was death but in 1923 due to the circumstances the court was sympathetic towards Hitler.