Hitler
HitlerIn the fall of 1922, the Germans asked the Allies for a moratorium on the reparations payments that they were required to pay according to the Versailles Treaty (from World War I). The French government refused the request and occupied the Ruhr, the integral industrial area of Germany, when the Germans defaulted on their payments. The French occupation united the German people to act against the occupation by staging a general strike. The German government supported the workers by giving them financial support. Inflation increased exponentially within Germany creating a growing concern over the Weimar Republic's capability to govern Germany.
In August 1923, Gustav Stresemann became Chancellor of Germany. On September 26, Stresemann ordered the end of the general strike in the Ruhr and decided to pay reparations. Rightfully believing that there would be anger and revolts to his announcement, Stresemann had President Ebert declare a state of emergency.
The Bavarian government was unhappy with Stresemann's capitulation and declared its own state of emergency on the same day as Stresemann's announcement. Bavaria was then ruled by a triumvirate which consisted of Generalkommissar Gustav von Kahr, General Otto von Lossow (commander of the army in Bavaria), and Colonel Hans Ritter von Seisser (commander of the state police).
Though the triumvirate ignored and even defied several orders that were directly from Berlin, by the end of October 1923 it seemed that the triumvirate was losing heart. They had wanted to protest, but not if it were to destroy them. Hitler believed it was time to take action.
The Plan
It is still debated who actually came up with the plan to kidnap the triumvirate, some say Alfred Rosenberg, some say Max Erwin von Scheubner-Richter, while still others say Hitler himself. The original plan was to capture the triumvirate on the German Memorial Day (Totengedenktag) on November 4, 1923. Kahr, Lossow, and Seisser would be on a stand, taking the salute from the troops during a parade. The plan was to arrive on the street before the troops arrived, shut off the street by setting up machine guns, and then get the triumvirate to join Hitler in the "revolution." The plan was foiled when it was discovered (the day of the parade) that the parade street was well protected by police.
They needed another plan. This time, they were going to march into Munich and seize its strategic points on November 11, 1923 (the anniversary of the armistice). This plan was scrapped when Hitler heard about Kahr's meeting.
Kahr called a meeting of approximately three thousand government officials on November 8 at the Buergerbr�ukeller (a beer hall). Since the entire triumvirate would be there, Hitler could force them at gun-point to join him.
The Putsch
Around eight o'clock, Hitler arrived at the Buergerbr�ukeller in a red Mercedes Benz accompanied by Rosenberg, Ulrich Graf (Hitler's bodyguard), and Anton Drexler. Hitler was wearing a baggy, black suit that made him look like a waiter and a trenchcoat with a revolver in its pocket.* The meeting had...
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