Revolution from the Right

Lecture 6

28 February 2012

HIST2133.The Weimar Republic through Documents,1918-1933

Anti-Republicans on the Right

• German National People’s Party (DNVP)• Early German People’s Party (DVP)

• Propagated stab-in-the-back legend• Saw war defeat as Jewish/Leftist/Bolshevist

conspiracy• Wanted back monarchy• Demanded strictly revisionist foreign policy• Opposed to fulfilment of Versailles Treaty

Free Corps: Voluntary military units, 1919-20

Formed by German Supreme Command:

To crush revolutionary unrest To fight vs. foreign claims to German border or

German-controlled territory in Baltic Sea region

• Baltic Free Corps fighting Bolshevist troops disappointed about loss of Baltic states to SU

• Reduced German army Reichswehr (500.000 → 100.000 men) had no jobs

= Readiness of Free Corps to stage putsch against

government after return to Germany

Rightist conspirators, 1919-20

• General Ludendorff, former chief of staff of Supreme Command• Colonel Papst, Reichswehr commander (involved in murdering Spartakus

leaders)• Kapp, senior official in East Prussia• Lieutenant-General Lüttwitz, commander of Reichswehr units east of

River Elbe• Naval captain Ehrhardt, commander of 5000 men Free Corps near Berlin

= Common goals: • Dissolving parties & parliament • Set up temporary dictatorship• Create authoritarian presidential regime in long-term• Press hard for lifting of Versailles treaty

Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch (1)First major right-wing attempt to overthrow

Republic (13-17 Mar 1920):

• Revolt of Free Corps near Berlin led by Lüttwitz + Ehrhardt to forestall planned dissolution by government

• Unsuccessfully presented President Ebert political demands• Occupied Berlin government quarter • Set up new governement under ‘chancellor’ Kapp• Top Reichswehr officer Seeckt rejects Eberts demand to

stop putsch: “Reichswehr does not fire upon Reichswehr”• Fled of government from Berlin• Call of general strike by Leftists

Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch (2)

= End of Ebert Groener accord of 10 Nov 1918

= Seekt interested in keeping out Reichswehr from politics but not in saving Republic

→ Army & bureaucracy mainly passive sympathy

► Kapp regime paralysed by general strike

► End of putsch & fled of Kapp etc. (17 Mar)

► Extreme Leftist troops still fighting in Ruhr area to unsuccessfully achieve socialist republic

Proclamation of Reich Chancellery

Kapp and Lüttwitz stepped back

The adventure is finished!

The high-traitors … will be severelypunished.

Reich President Reich GovernmentEbert Bauer

Militant nationalists, 1921-2

• Former finance minister Erzberger, † Aug 1921• Foreign minister Rathenau, † Jun 1922

= Organisation Consul (successor of Free Corps Ehrhardt) responsible

= Mass protests by Republicans = Bill for the Protection of the Republic

(Republikschutzgesetz) passed, Jul 1922

► Begin of active legal struggle of Republic vs. rightist secret societies, nationalist circles & leagues

Hitler Putschor: Beer-Hall Putsch, 8 Nov 1923

= Unsuccessful attempt of Hitler & Ludendorff to seize power for NS party

• Bavaria as operating ground for extreme Rightists

• Beerhall in Munich surrounded by Storm Troopers (SA) led by Roehm

• Hitler proclaimed new government + called for ‘March to Berlin’ from Munich

→ Hitler arrested + putsch crushed by police

Proclamationto the German people!

The government of theNovember criminals wasdeclared dismissed today.

A temporary German nationalgovernment has been createdwhich consists of

General Ludendorff,Adolf Hitler, General von Lossow,Oberst von Seisser

Results of Hitler Putsch

= Amazing achievement of political nobody Hitler

= Hitler’s lesson learnt: No direct action but winning masses by legal means (e.g. elections)

• Ludendorff acquitted altogether

• Hitler sentenced to 5 yrs imprisonment at Landsberg but released after 8 months only

• Hitler with sufficient time for writing 1st part of book Mein Kampf (My Struggle)

Mein Kampf (My Struggle)

The ‘Bible of National Socialism’ (1925-6)

► Hitler’s autobiography & political testament written in Landsberg prison (1923-4)

► Zweites Buch (Second Book) (1928)

= Struggle against Jews as central point

“National Opposition”

• Strived for different political & economic system in Germany

• Not prepared to abide to rules of Republic• Split over question if change by violence or parliamentary

majorities

= From very different social & ideological backgrounds ↓

Extreme Leftists and Extreme Rightists

= Characteristic most important defect of Weimar Republic