Was The Munich Putsch a Total Disaster?

710 Words3 Pages
The Munich Putsch took place in 1923 and was the Nazis’ attempt to take over Germany by force. Its aims were to take over Munich and Bavaria and then the rest of Germany. Hitler and his party were planning to create a thousand year Reich in Germany. The Putsch failed. Policemen killed 16 Nazis and Hitler was arrested and sentenced to 5 years in prison although he only served 9 months in the end. It would seem that the Munich Putsch was a total disaster for the Nazis. None of the stated aims of the Putsch were achieved, the Nazi party collapsed without the leadership of Hitler and their presence in the months and years after the Putsch was minimal. It seemed the end of the road for the Nazis. However by looking at the longer-term effects of the Putsch it is clear to see that the Putsch had many benefits to the Nazi Party and could be considered to be instrumental in their rise to power. Hitler’s arrest, although seemingly catastrophic for the Nazis, was actually of great benefit to them. Hitler was put on trial, which meant extensive publicity for the Nazi Party. Hitler used his trial as a propaganda tool to get the message of the Nazi Party across, he knew that the trial judge would be lenient on him because of an earlier incident he’d been involved in. This gave Hitler the freedom to express his ideas to the national press without fear of damning himself in court. This was particularly beneficial to the Nazis as they were able to reach people who had previously never heard of them. The trial meant the Nazi party ideals were reaching all corners of Germany and the ears of millions of potential new members. Hitler was sent to jail, but this too had long term benefits for the Nazi Party’s success. During his time in jail Hitler wrote his book Mein Kampf or My Struggle. This summed up the Nazi ideals in one place. The thoughts and philosophies of the Nazis’ leader
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