Source 4 is a comment made by Hitler in 1933 on the failed coup. This was about 8 years after the event occurred which may seem a bit unreliable towards the source due to the extended time periods allowed between the other sources. Hitler’s comments on the failure of the putsch, I believe are significantly relevant and I agree with the statements he said. 3 key important contributions made the putsch even more of a failure than it should be. These were: Lack of planning and communication between leading generals and officers, Hitler’s actions were based on the advice and confidence of General Ludendorff who was over – confident which led to disarray, and the sudden takeover of power in Germany would have led to severe difficulties in 1923. From these 3 contributions, source 4 can state how and why the Munich Putsch failed. Hitler mentions “It was the greatest good fortune for us National Socialists that the Putsch failed “. By stating this, Hitler seemed to be pleased with the outcome effect of the Putsch even though it was a failure. In February 1924, this gave Hitler the perfect opportunity to attack the Weimar government and its assembly. As we know, he eventually came out on top. To some extent, I feel that this source agrees with the Putsch’s failure simply because this source was written in 1933, 9 years after Hitler was released out of Landsberg prison.
Source 5 is an extract from Hitler’s defence speech at his trial, February 26th 1924. Hitler talks about conflict between political parties and other key important issues. He mentions his “perfect model”, Richard von Wagner. In a sense Hitler is basing his life upon Wagner’s actions, He looks up to him and respects him solely and morally. I feel that source 5 agrees with the view of the failure of the Munich Putsch.
In the summer of 1924, Hitler’s first book was published. Mein Kampf (My Struggle). It contains a mixture of his autobiography and his national socialist political ideas. Hitler was allowed frequent visitors and luxuries in his cell as he had convinced the jury and Judge Neithhardt that his actions were honorable and explainable. He was found guilty and sentenced to five years imprisonment.
The Munich Putsch failed because : a lack of planning and communication between generals and officers was never established , Hitler based his actions on Ludendorff’s advice and he was too over – confident that the police would welcome him with open arms and that the events on November 9th 1923 , were considered as “stupidity” .
I can link source 2 to source 4. This is because, despite the 10 year time difference between the publishing of the sources, they are very relevant to each other in their own significant way. Source 2 describes the scene of events leading up to the Munich Putsch, whereas source 4 is a criticism about the collapse of the Munich Putsch.
The Munich Putsch, however, was not a complete failure. Hitler’s trial began on February 26th, 1924. He was charged for high treason against the state of Weimar and against Germany, the fatherland. During his trial, Hitler obtained the right to express and expound his views and beliefs to the high court, the jury and judge Neithhardt. Due to this, Hitler’s actions were considered as honorable and explainable and he was sentenced to five years. He eventually got released after 1 year of his original sentence in Landsberg prison. Hitler’s putsch was a minor event, but it was the lessons that Hitler learned from it that were important. It was a physical failure for Hitler and his supporters but it was overall a mental success, in that it gave Hitler time to reflect on what had gone wrong this time and reorganise the Nazi party so that eventual power was seized not by force but by the winning of the German electorate. The Munich Putsch was important in that it did cause the eventual collapse of the Weimar republic.
Source 4 can also be linked to source 5. This is because, In February 1924, Hitler was attempting to make the best speech in his political career. The victorious outcome was to save his own life. He did exactly that. After he wrote Mein Kampf, and after he was released from Landsberg prison on 20th December 1924. This can be related to source 4 in that he criticised the outcome of the Putsch a decade later by commenting on its collapse.
From the analysis I have made from all sources and the use of my own knowledge, I have come to a conclusion about the view of the failure of the Munich Putsch. I agree with the content of all the sources and the linking and relevance they have between each other. I agree with the view of the failure of the Munich Putsch.
