Attempts to overthrow the Weimar Republic, 1919-23
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Transcript of Attempts to overthrow the Weimar Republic, 1919-23
Attempts to overthrow the Weimar Republic, 1919-23
Richard FitzsimmonsStrathallan School
Overview
• Between 1919 and 1923, there were a number of attempts to overthrow the Weimar government – but they all failed and the Republic survived …why ?
• Communists (Bavaria), late 1918-early 1919• Spartacists, January 1919• Freikorps under Dr. Wolfgang Kapp, March 1920• Nazis, November 1923
Communists in Bavaria,
1919
Kurt Eisner
Communists in Bavaria ?
• At the end of the War Bavaria, like the rest of Germany, underwent a revolution – she was declared a Republic by the newly elected Kurt Eisner (USDP)
• After his assassination (21st February 1919) there was a wave of violence in Bavaria
• 6th April 1919 – a ‘Raterepublik’ was proclaimed in Munich• This communist government was destroyed by the
Freikorps, ordered in by President Friederich Ebert• A new government, loyal to Weimar, was installed before
it too (1920) was overthrown by right-wingers led by Gustav von Kahr
Spartacist Uprising,
January 1919
Spartacist Uprising
• The Spartacus League, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht wanted to make Germany a communist state like Russia
• Jan. 1919 – they tried to seize power in Berlin – they were seen as a threat by the Social Democrat government of Scheidemann and Ebert
Spartacist Uprising, Jan 1919
• 3rd Jan 1919 – Spartacists captured the office of the government newspaper and the telephone exchange – attempting to stage an armed revolution against Ebert’s government
• Other left-wing groups did not support the Spartacists, leaving them isolated
• By 10th Jan – Freikorps units had taken the Spartacists’ headquarters
• 15th Jan – the revolt was over, about 100 Spartacists were killed, and the leaders were brutally murdered
What happened to Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebnecht ?
• Both were arrested, interrogated by the Freikorps, then taken away.
• Liebknecht was forced out of a car in the Tiergarten (Berlin) and shot while ‘trying to escape’
• Luxemburg was shot and her body thrown in a canal where it remained until discovered in May 1919
• Ebert was shocked by the murders and ordered an investigation – punishments did not fit the crimes
The Freikorps
Who were the Freikorps ?
• When the war ended in November 1919, many junior officers and lower ranks had formed themselves into paramilitary bodies known as the Freikorps
• Often they were units that had not wanted to be demobilised after the war
• Often they were named after their commanders
• In 1919 and 1920 they were armed and used by Ebert’s government to put down uprisings
The Kapp Putsch, March 1920• The units had to be disbanded – under
the terms of Versailles – also the government had little use for the Freikorps now the communist threat was over
• Several units tried to seize power, angry that a government they despised was trying to disband them
• They marched on Berlin, unhindered by the regular army
• The government was forced to flee to Dresden, calling on the people of Berlin to strike to cripple the Kapp putsch
• The coup collapsed within days as public services stopped working
Munich Beer-hall Putsch
November 1923
What prompted the attempt ?
• When, in Sept 1923 Stresemann (Chancellor) decided to give into the French over the Ruhr, Hitler and other right-wing politicians saw this a betrayal of the German people
• Hitler was convinced that he could succeed where von Kahr had failed – and he expected that von Kahr and the Bavarian government would support his attempt to destroy Weimar
• Perhaps Hitler also over-estimated the amount of support the Nazis had in Munich
What happened ?
• Hitler and some SA men interrupted a public meeting led by the head of the Bavarian government Gustav von Kahr
• Hitler declared that he was taking over the local government, and that there would be a march on Berlin to take over there too
• 9th Nov – Hitler and 3000 supporters were confronted by 100 armed policemen
• 16 Nazis were killed, Hitler was wounded• The whole putsch (revolt) collapsed
Why did the Nazis fail ?
• Hitler had expected support from other right-wing groups, including the Bavarian government of von Kahr
• The Nazis had little public exposure – few outside Munich had ever heard of them
What were the results ?
• When the Munich Putsch failed, Hitler was placed in jail
• He used his trial to gain nationwide attention for his cause – helped by a sympathetic judge
• Hitler served nine months of his 5-year sentence in prison, where he wrote the famous Mein Kampf
Hitler and supporters in Landsberg prison,
1924