Attempts to overthrow the Weimar Republic, 1919-23

1. Attempts to overthrow the Weimar Republic, 1919-23 Richard Fitzsimmons Strathallan School

2. 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

3. Communists in Bavaria, 1919 Kurt Eisner

4. 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

5. Spartacist Uprising, January 1919

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. The Freikorps

10. 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

11. 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

12. Munich Beer-hall Putsch November 1923

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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