Prologue: 1923
Did the Munich Beer Hall Massacre lead to the DNVP's rise?
Article from November 12th, 1993
Many of the conditions that lead to the rise of the Deutschnationale Volkspartei, or German National People's Party (DNVP), can be traced back to the failed coup by the so-called "Nazi Party" lead by would-be tyrant Adolf Hitler. In the aftermath of the Great War; nationalist, anti-semitic and populist sentiment was sweeping Germany.
The humiliating defeat that the Deutsches Kaiserreich suffered at the hands of the Allied Powers was signed into law by the Treaty of Versailles in 1920. Almost immediately after, the anti-semitic "stabbed in the back" myth began spreading like wildfire throughout the more nationalistic members of German society, blaming their loss on Jews, Bolsheviks and "unpatriotic" citizens.
A staunch believer in this myth was Adolf Hitler, a former German Army soldier of Austrian birth who resided in Munich following the end of the conflict. The short-lived far-right Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, or German Worker's Party, (DAP) followed by the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, or National Socialist German Worker's Party, was quickly growing in number between 1920 and 1923 and grew to be a major political force in Munich.
Despite his initial orders to infiltrate the DAP, Hitler eventually rose to an association of nationalist parties known as the Kampfbund. By 1923 the organization had 15,000 armed members of its armed wing, the Sturmabteilung. Late September of 1923 saw the regional Bavarian government declare a state of emergency as the Kampfbund grew in number. State Commissioner Gustav Ritter von Kahr announced a ban on meetings planned by Hitler and his cronies, which lead to panic amongst the NSDAP.
Hitler decided him and his allies had no choice but the overthrow the German government and establish a dictatorship by force, lest their support base bleed away to the growing German Communist movement. Inspired by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's seizure of power, he decided to take drastic action.
It came on the 8th of November. Whilst Kahr was giving a speech to 3,000 people at the Bürgerbräukeller, the Kampfbund marched on the venue. Shocked onlookers were suddenly staring down the barrel of a machine gun set up by the SA. Kahr and several others were forcibly taken as hostages to backrooms, where their fealty was demanded at gunpoint.
Other Nazi leaders were seizing positions all across the city, and it seemed like the short lived German Republic would be coming to an end. Hitler gave a speech to the crowd present, and against all odds, seemed to completely win them over despite holding them at gunpoint just minutes before.
Into the late hours of the evening the co-conspirators gave speeches after speeches filled with anti-semitic vitriol and blame over the November Armistice. The Nazis eventually allowed the crowd and even Kahr and his associates to leave, a critical mistake in their plans.
The early hours of the morning the first casualties arrived as SA militants exchanged gunfire with the Reichswehr. All across the city the Kampfbund were attempting the seize weapons and ammunition, prepping for revolution or even possible civil war. It wasn't working however, as the Reichswehr were successfully defending the majority of their positions.
The next day, it was obvious their plans had failed. In one final desperate act, Hitler and former General Erich Ludendorff lead a march of 2,000 nationalists to seize the Bavarian government. Their plan failed, and what happened next sealed the fate of the "Nazi" movement. At the Odeonsplatz, a large square in central Munich, government forces were already waiting.
Shots rang out, and the nationalist march was routed. Over fifty members of the march were gunned down in what was later called the Munich Beer Hall Massacre, including the wannabe tyrant Hitler and General Ludendorff. Around twelve Reichswehr personnel were also killed by Nazi counter fire.
Adolf Hitler, April 20th 1889-November 9th 1923
The death of Hitler quickly saw the Nazi movement crumble, with most of its members moving either to the other nationalist parties present in Germany or even the Communists. The other conspirators were hunted down and arrested in the following days, although some would later be released by the DNVP government. Many historians today ponder if history would have taken a different course had Hitler been successful in his coup attempt.
The unrest in Bavaria made the outside world aware of German's inner turmoil for the first time, and helped give credence to the eventual far-right rise in Germany and the return of the Kaiser. Despite having little to do with the DNVP, many historians believe this event to be the catalyst in the start of their ascension to power later during the 1930s.
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