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Modern History **The Munich Putsch 1923** In November 1923, Hitler tried to take advantage of the crisis facing the Weimar government by instigating a **revolution** in Munich. It seemed like the perfect opportunity, but poor planning and misjudgement resulted in failure and the subsequent imprisonment of Adolf Hitler. Hitler plotted with Kahr and Lossow At first, the Nazis were just a terrorist group. Hitler assembled a large group of unemployed young men and former soldiers, known as the **storm troopers** (the SA), which attacked other political groups. Hitler hoped to take power by starting a [|revolution]  [**revolution**: //A complete or radical change. In political terms, revolution involves a radical change in government.// ]. During the crisis of 1923, therefore, Hitler plotted with two nationalist politicians - **Kahr** and **Lossow** - to take over Munich in a revolution. Hitler is angered as Kahr and Lossow call off the rebellion Hitler collected his storm troopers and told them to be ready to rebel. But then, on 4 October 1923, **Kahr and Lossow called off the rebellion**. This was an impossible situation for Hitler, who had 3,000 troops ready to fight. On the night of 8 November 1923, Hitler and 600 storm troopers burst into a meeting that Kahr and Lossow were holding at the local **Beer Hall**. Waving a gun at them, Hitler forced them to agree to rebel - and then let them go home. The SA took over the army headquarters and the offices of the local newspaper.
 * Summary **
 * Hitler waved a gun at Khar and Lossow

The next day, 9 November 1923, Hitler and his Nazis went into Munich on what they thought would be a triumphal march to take power. However, Kahr had called in police and army reinforcements. There was a short scuffle in which the police killed 16 Nazis. Hitler fled, but was **arrested** two days later. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">To become familiar with these events, identify the facts and arguments you would use to support these statements about the Munich Putsch: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">As part of your revision, think about the **arguments** and **facts** you would use to explain: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Think carefully about what the question is asking before you answer. A question on **why** the Munich Putsch happened will need a very different answer to a question on **what happened** in the Munich Putsch, or **how** the Munich Putsch affected the Nazi party.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Why did Hitler attempt the Munich Putsch in 1923? **
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">By 1923, the Nazi party had 55,000 members and was **stronger than ever before**.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The **Weimar Republic was in crisis** and about to collapse.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">In September 1923, the **Weimar government had called off the general strike**, and every German nationalist was furious with the government.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Hitler thought he would be **helped by important nationalist politicians** in Bavaria.
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Hitler had a **huge army of storm troopers**, but he knew he would lose control of them if he did not give them something to do.
 * 6) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Hitler hoped to **copy Mussolini** - the Italian fascist leader - who had come to power in Italy in 1922 by marching on Rome.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Results of the Munich Putsch. ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Munich Putsch was a **failure**. As a result:
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The **Nazi party was banned**, and Hitler was prevented from speaking in public until 1927.
 * 2) **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Hitler went to prison **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">, where he wrote 'Mein Kampf'. Millions of Germans read it, and Hitler's ideas became very well-known.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Hitler decided that he would never come to power by revolution; he realised that he would have to **use constitutional means**, so he organised:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">the Hitler Youth
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">propaganda campaigns
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">mergers with other right-wing parties
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">local branches of the party, which tried to get Nazis elected to the Reichstag
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">the SS as his personal bodyguard, which was set up in 1925 It was this strategy of **gaining power legitimately** that eventually brought him to power.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Revision tip and answer preparation **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">'It was a squalid little failure that we would ignore nowadays if Hitler hadn't eventually come to power.'
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">'Hitler would have had no chance of ever gaining power without the failure of the Munich Putsch.'
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Answer preparation **
 * 1) **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">What **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> happened in the Munich Putsch.
 * 2) **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Why **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Hitler attempted the Munich Putsch in 1923.
 * 3) **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">How **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> the Nazi Party was affected by the Munich Putsch.

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