momentum of the Nazi’s would have decreased a great deal.
- Communications break down with Hitler and Ernest Röhm.
- Hitler ran away when he was shot at.
Hitler had vowed five years prior to the Putsch that he would not " rest nor sleep until the politicians who had signed the armistice had been hurled to the ground, until on the ruins of the pitiful Germany of today has risen a Germany of power and greatness. This putsch was begun simply to avenge the armistice, to take over and change what he wanted to change a make them “the great nation” they were.
On 8th November Hitler broke into a meeting in a large beer hall, which three leaders of the Bavarian government had. This meeting had all the major parties but had excluded Hitler’s. Outside 600 storm troopers backed him up. He tried to persuade the three leaders to tell their audience that they would give the Nazis their full support and march with them in Munich and overthrow the government but the would only do it if General Ludendorff came. Hitler had told them that the German war hero, General Ludendorff would come and support them but the war hero hadn’t arrived. Hitler needed General Ludendorff so that he could also Ernst Röhm. He headed the storm troopers and they need to move fast. They had to take control of government buildings and officials made an appearance pledging his support of Hitler. General Ludendorff came about 6 hours late and drunk. The storm troopers were moving late. When Hitler went one of the officials asked General Ludendorff if they could call his wife and the German war Hero a sexist let them call thinking that the wife’s would be worried. But the Bavarian leaders didn’t call their wife’s but the Bavarian army to send some new troops to attack Hitler’s. Ludendorff also let them go. While this took place Storm Troopers took control of government buildings and the local army headquarters and arrested officials. But the leaders of the army would not support Hitler. With all of Hitler’s plans messed up he changed his plan and decided to march in Munich instead with 2000 troops, he also thought that people would just join in the march but because of the progress that the government had been making they didn’t join in. Their march was stopped by police barricades and after a brief gun battle the Hitler group fled when Hitler had got shot and had run away, with the noticeable exception of General Ludendorff, ignominiously fled. Later on that day Hitler was found and arrested.
In late summer 1923 Gustav Stresemann became chancellor of Germany and started to help the country immediately he helped solve the Hyper-Inflation which had affected the country extremely. This was bad for Hitler and his planning. Why would people march against a chancellor that is helping the country, this was a bad decision for Hitler to try and take over the party at force at this stage of time because the country was improving not destabilising. No one would march for him at this stage.
When Hitler was fired upon he ran away. When a leader falls his whole army falls with him. Adolf’s troops trusted Hitler and they believed what he was saying but if the leader, if Hitler could not even stand for what he had believed in if Hitler could not stand there when he had be shot why should his supporters have stood there. So scared as the leader they ran away. If Hitler had stood there his troops would had stood there and they might have had a chance of beating him but they fled.
Another main reason why the beer hall putsch failed is because General Ludendorff had let von Khar and Lossow leave the beer hall. When they left they called for troops to be sent to stop the revolution. But if they had kept von Khar and Lossow in the hall they would have called no-one and they would have had no opposition until later and then they would have had a better chance to completing their aim.
I think that the most important event was Ludendorff letting the Bavarian leaders go because if they hadn’t let them go the phone call to the army wouldn’t have been made stopping the Nazi’s at that time.
By
The
One
And
Only
Caleb Barnes-Christian
BEER HALL PUTSCH CORSEWORK