Beer Hall Putsch
Munich's Bürgerbräukeller hosted thousands of people in the early 1920s. They drank beer and debated politics under dim lights. The Treaty of Versailles had ended World War I just four years prior to this event. Germany felt like a defeated power after losing territory and paying heavy reparations. Adolf Hitler served as a soldier during that war but kept his Austrian citizenship at the time. He believed civilian leaders had stabbed the army in the back. This narrative became known as the November Criminals theory among nationalists. Captain Karl Mayr organized national thinking courses for soldiers in Munich. Hitler joined the tiny German Workers Party on the 12th of September 1919. He rose quickly through its ranks during chaotic postwar conditions. By late 1923, Bavarian Prime Minister Gustav Ritter von Kahr declared a state of emergency. He held dictatorial powers alongside police chief Colonel Hans von Seisser and General Otto von Lossow. These three men formed a ruling triumvirate that opposed Hitler's planned mass meetings. Hitler announced fourteen gatherings starting the 27th of September 1923. Kahr banned them immediately, placing pressure on the Nazi leader to act.
Six hundred SA members surrounded the Bürgerbräukeller on the evening of the 8th of November 1923. A machine gun stood ready inside the auditorium where three thousand people gathered. Hitler fired a shot into the ceiling while jumping onto a chair. He shouted that the hall was surrounded by six hundred men and nobody could leave. The crowd roared approval when he claimed the Bavarian government had been overthrown. Hermann Göring spoke from the podium before Hitler ordered Kahr, Lossow, and Seisser into an adjoining room at gunpoint. They demanded their support for the new regime. Heinz Pernet and Johann Aigner went to fetch Erich Ludendorff, whose prestige lent credibility to the plot. Ernst Röhm waited with his Bund Reichskriegsflagge in another beer hall called Löwenbräukeller. Around 03:00 on November 9, shots were fired but no one died during an ambush attempt. By mid-morning, approximately two thousand Nazis marched toward Odeonsplatz without a clear destination. Ludendorff led them to the Feldherrnhalle where they met 130 soldiers under State Police Senior Lieutenant Hans von Danner. The groups exchanged fire resulting in sixteen deaths among the Nazis and four police officers killed.
Hitler was arrested two days after the failed coup attempt. He faced charges of high treason alongside Hermann Kreibel, Wilhelm Frick, Ernst Pöhner, Ernst Röhm, Friedrich Weber, Wilhelm Bruckner, and Robert Wagner. The trial began the 26th of February 1924 and lasted until the 1st of April 1924 before Judge Georg Neithardt. Hitler delivered a nearly four-hour opening speech detailing his life story and political vision. He claimed sole responsibility for the putsch while moderating his usual anti-Semitic rhetoric during proceedings. The lay judges were fanatically pro-Nazi but Neithardt dissuaded them from acquitting him outright. Lossow testified first criticizing Hitler's methods. Kahr called the event a potential catastrophe for the country. Seisser described Hitler as a young man whose head had been turned by applause. Hitler closed with words about eternal history judging their actions rather than the court. He received five years fortress confinement with parole eligibility after six months. This sentence excluded forced labor and allowed daily visitors. Hitler served just over eight months before being released on the 20th of December 1924. Ludendorff was acquitted due to claims he attended only accidentally.
Hitler dictated Mein Kampf to fellow prisoners Emil Maurice and Rudolf Hess at Landsberg Prison. The book became dedicated to the fallen insurgents who died during the uprising. It listed names of fifteen deceased Nazis plus one innocent bystander named Karl Kuhn. The text included Hitler's dedication stating they would live forever despite death. He changed his strategy from violent revolution to legal means after imprisonment. His modus operandis shifted toward strict legality once released. The process of combination later repeated itself ten years when Franz von Papen asked Hitler to form a coalition government in 1933. Party members read Ich Kämpfe books given upon joining which listed dead heroes first among hundreds of others. The header text declared though they are dead for their acts they will live on forever. This narrative shaped future propaganda efforts within the movement.
Four Bavarian police officers died during the confrontation on the 9th of November 1923. Their names were Hugo Bruckner, Johann Aigner, Max Neunzert, and Wilhelm Wolf. Fifteen Nazi participants also lost their lives including merchant Alfarth born the 5th of July 1901. Hatter Andreas Bauriedl fell onto the flag causing it to become known as the Blutfahne. Bank clerk Martin Faust was shot accidentally by machine gun fire during occupation of the War Ministry. Engineering student Rolf Reiner became youngest person killed at age nineteen. Valet Heinrich Trambauer suffered severe wounds while carrying the blood-stained flag. Judge Theodor von der Pfordten had previously been implicated in prisoner abuse at Traunstein camp. Retired cavalry captain Hermann Esser died alongside businessman Karl Beggel. Only one significant Nazi leader named Max Erwin von Scheubner-Richter perished instantly from a lung wound. He brought Hitler down when falling dislocating his shoulder. Innocent bystander Karl Kuhn worked as head waiter from Heilbronn before being fatally shot in crossfire.
The sixteen fallen insurgents plus Karl Kuhn became first blood martyrs remembered in Mein Kampf foreword. The blood-stained flag called Blutfahne appeared during swearing-in ceremonies for new recruits. A memorial placed south side of Feldherrnhalle bore swastika and read Und ihr habt doch gesiegt! Passersby gave Nazi salute between police or SS guards. Three sets of stamps commemorated the event annually until 1934 when ceremony cancelled after Night of Long Knives. In 1938 it coincided with Kristallnacht while 1939 marked attempted assassination by Johann Georg Elser. Security concerns suspended re-enactment march starting 1939 though Hitler spoke through 1943. Heinrich Himmler addressed crowds instead in 1944 when Hitler skipped event. Bodies moved from Ehrentempel to Königsplatz on the 9th of November 1935 where eight dead interred per sarcophagus bearing names. Allied Commission removed bodies June 1945 giving families option for unmarked graves or cremation. Upper parts structures blown up the 9th of January 1947. Plaque embedded pavement front Feldherrnhalle since 1994 lists four Bavarian policemen killed fighting Nazis.
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Common questions
What happened during the Beer Hall Putsch in Munich on November 8 1923?
Adolf Hitler and six hundred SA members stormed the Bürgerbräukeller beer hall to overthrow the Bavarian government. He declared a state of emergency while holding three officials at gunpoint before marching toward Odeonsplatz. The march ended in a firefight at Feldherrnhalle where sixteen Nazis and four police officers died.
Who were the key figures involved in the Beer Hall Putsch trial starting February 26 1924?
Hitler faced charges alongside Hermann Göring, Wilhelm Frick, Ernst Röhm, Friedrich Weber, Wilhelm Bruckner, and Robert Wagner. Judge Georg Neithardt presided over the proceedings that lasted until the 1st of April 1924. Ludendorff was acquitted because he claimed his attendance was accidental.
How long did Adolf Hitler serve after being sentenced for the Beer Hall Putsch?
Hitler received five years fortress confinement with parole eligibility after six months but served just over eight months. He was released from Landsberg Prison on the 20th of December 1924. During imprisonment he dictated Mein Kampf to fellow prisoners Emil Maurice and Rudolf Hess.
Which Nazi participants died during the Beer Hall Putsch confrontation on November 9 1923?
Fifteen Nazi insurgents lost their lives including Max Erwin von Scheubner-Richter who fell while carrying Hitler. Rolf Reiner became the youngest person killed at age nineteen while Andreas Bauriedl fell onto the flag. Four Bavarian police officers also died including Hugo Bruckner and Johann Aigner.
What happened to the Blutfahne and Feldherrnhalle memorial after World War II ended in 1945?
The Allied Commission removed bodies from Ehrentempel to Königsplatz on the 9th of November 1935 before moving them again in June 1945. Upper parts of structures were blown up the 9th of January 1947 and a plaque embedded in pavement since 1994 lists four Bavarian policemen killed fighting Nazis.