Police Report Of The Munich Putsch Essay, Research Paper
Police Report of the Munich Putsch 8th November
1923, Otto von Lossow (commander of the Reichswehr) and State Commissioner
Gustav von Kahr were addressing a meeting of 2,000 right-wing supporters in the
Munich beer-hall. A man named Adolf Hitler, a pro-active right-wing leader,
burst into the hall with armed storm troopers and declared a national
revolution. Hitler, gun in hand, forces the State Commissioner and the Army
Commander, Lossow, into a side room of the beer-hall. Hitler coheres? both
Lossow and Kahr to state their support for a march on Berlin to impose a new
government, with General Ludendorff as the new Commander-in-Chief. During these
talks thousands of storm troopers were terrorising other members of the
Bavarian government and causing complete chaos, but the storm troopers failure
to gain control of the army barracks and because of the procrastination of the
revolutionaries control and order were restored. 9th November
1923, President Ebert declares a national state of emergency. General Seeckt
orders Lossow to crush the revolt. Lossow and Kahr soon announce a proclomation
denouncing the putsch. Adolf Hitler was said to be very upset by the announcement
of Lossow and Kahr?s proclamation and becomes very anxious about carrying on
with the revolt. General Ludendorff persuades Hitler to carry on and at noon 2,000-armed
Nazi storm troopers march into a military base in Munich. Our armed police
units and the Bavarian army meet them at the military base. The first shots
were fired by the Nazi troops. 14 Nazi troops were killed in the revolt, General
Ludendorff marched up to the police units and was arrested, and Hitler fled the
scene and was found and arrested on the 11th November. As a result
of the Putsch General Seeckt bans the Nazi party. The aims of the Putsch was
to essentially take over Germany and replace the existing government with a new
?provisional? government consisting of people such as General Ludendorff and
Hitler. Posters were posted around the city telling the people about the newly
devised provisional government even before anyone had actually agreed to
participate in this rebel government. Another reason for this revolt by the
right wing groups of Germany was the suspicion that the communist parties were
also going to revolt and the right wing groups needed to get there first, which
is why the revolution was so poorly planed. The Munich Putsch failed for
a number of reasons many members of the public thought it was a joke and
something that wasn?t to be taken seriously one bystander called it a ?Comic
Opera?. A major turning point was the retraction of support for the Putsch by
Lossow and Kahr, this stemmed many other problems for the leaders of the Putsch
it was even said that Hitler had a nervous break down when Kahr and Lossow renounced
their support for the cause. The Putsch was also not planed properly there was
a rush to beat the communists and the plan had not been thought through
properly which hindered the whole revolt. The authorities were well informed
and took special measures to make sure that the Nazis had no weapons and that
army officers stayed loyal to the government. Lossow?s subordinates in the army
had refused to help the Nazis and so it would be impossible for Lossow to have
had the support of the army when measures were taken to keep army members
loyal. The degree of threat that
the Nazi party perpetuated was minimal, they hadn?t the support nor the power
to control a full blown revolution. The authorities were well prepared for them
and only 14 people were killed, Hitler?s followers were in small numbers, with
only about 50,000 members. General Seeckt has now banned the party and therefor
reducing the risk of any other uprising. Hitler has been jailed for his crimes
and the party should disband with out his leadership.