Beer Hall Putsch

The **Beer Hall Putsch** was an attempted coup in Munich by anti-socialist forces in a last ditch effort to topple the syndicalist government from power as a response to the Social Protection Act. It was the largest anti-syndicalist movement in recent German history. Many participated in the putsch, mainly those who were able to avoid being targeted in previous years, including policemen, politicians, and regular civilians. Over 5,000 people marched in the city, but after 1 week the occupation was decisively broken up, effectively slashing the last major resistance against the new German Union government

## Beer Hall Putsch

Paramilitary forces arriving in Munich to secure the city.

### **Outcome**

Rebel failure, enactment of martial law in Bavaria

## History

### Background

In the months after the end of the civil war, life within the German state would slug along, with little social, political or economic progress to be made. With limited foreign support, destruction of urban centers, railways, farms and even with local anarchists and communists contesting the syndicalist status quo, the new government’s grip on the country was weakening. Despite a new constitution being signed and a new, permanent government forming, it did little to actually stomp out the opposition movements, varying from liberal to far-right parties and organizations. With increasingly deadly attacks, in January 1921, the Social Protection Act, as controversial as it was, was passed within the Trade Unions Congress, meant as a way of curbing local and national unrest alongside anti-government resistance.

The Act, in practice, would be the reason behind a large increase of unrest in many German cities. Thousands were arrested on trumped up charges, prisons were overflowing, and many were upset at this sudden turn the revolution seemed to be heading in. Facing protests and demonstrations by socialists, ‘political dissidents’, and right-wing groups, it wasn’t until the murder of Wolfgang Kapp, that the situation would turn definitively in favor of the government. His murder with the downfall of the largest far-right opposition party, the German People’s Association, would further radicalize anti-government forces, realizing that the opportunity to overthrow the far-left was coming to an end. As arrests and prosecutions would gradually turn away from the general population thereafter, and more towards those actively hostile to Berlin, the general demonstrations and the few strikes that began due to the Social Protection Act started to cease. With the government’s surprising success at securing their political dominance over every province, town and city, various liberal, far-right and centrist political groups met in Munich to discuss the possibility of a putsch in November 1921.

But as the government’s clampdowns increased alongside an increased amount of resistance leaders and followers leaving for Austria, the plans for the Putsch were quick and rushed, aware that their time to overthrow Berlin was rapidly closing, and they aimed for January the next year. Of the various groups that headed the discussions, they all united under the General Liberation Front, a broad coalition of the many groups (Liberals, Monarchists, Nationalists, military soldiers and generals).

### The Putsch

On January 24th, 1922, a full year after the Act’s passing, the Putsch had begun in earnest. At 2 A.M, the so-called Storm Troopers (the paramilitary wing of the Front) occupied Munich City Council, proclaiming the “beginning of the counter-revolution.” Quickly, word spread of their victory to the Front, who subsequently arrested prominent socialists in the city, cut communication lines at various locations and began to occupy the city’s infrastructure and strategic points, to render government control useless. As dawn broke, citizens woke up to the sight of soldiers in old Monarchist or Republican uniforms marching through the street, most with guns, some with tanks. Leaflets wee passed from the occupied city council for the general population to “stay at home” as “martial law has been declared” and "the liberation has begun" but the occupation did not come without its challenges.

Unaware of the current situation, garrisons stationed at opposite ends of the city were called in after confusing reports of “a new war” were coming in. Reinforced by the local police, the first major battle broke out between syndicalist loyalists and new anti-government rebels. This attack proved devastating, but its end result was a stalemate. In the hours following the coup and as the attack began, wider reports reached Berlin of the worrying developments down south. After the first day, with practically half of Munich occupied, Berlin declared all of Bavaria to be in a state of martial law and after two days amassed the army and volunteer forces to meet the rebels head on.

### Counterattack, riots and rebel failure

On the third day of occupation, shortly before the second and last major battle, the Front made a plea to the people and military of the new German state, calling on them to “oppose the Reds in every way possible. If they are not removed from power, darkness will engulf our fatherland.”, but these pleas went nowhere. Due to the rushed occupation and execution of the putsch, it was far less coordinated than expected. Completely cut off from any support, and with socialist forces arriving quickly, the Second Battle of Munich had begun.

Around this time, all of Munich was successfully occupied, but as the attack had begun, the occupation had seen its support wane. Various civilians, many of which were targets by the paramilitaries, fought back. With the news that the fighting had begun, spontaneous riots broke out in downtown Munich, calling for the removal of the putschists and the restoration of peace. These riots were swiftly but brutally suppressed by police who pledged loyalty to the putsch, but the diversion of the Storm Troopers to restore internal order weakened their frontlines against the German Union, which was used to their advantage. This time, the position of the Storm Troopers were broken after one day, and socialist forces quickly made progress in capturing back Munich, but on the third day they were repulsed and driven into a stalemate east of the Isan River. This stalemate only lasted for one day, giving Berlin the needed respite to regather and organize its troops into one last offensive. On the 6th day of occupation, socialist forces with makeshift bridges hastily crossed the Isan and after 3 hours successfully pushed back the occupants, leaving only northwest Munich still occupied. By the 7th day, with government forces attacking from all sides, most Storm Troopers and its tributaries surrendered en masse, ending the putsch once and for all.

### Trial and aftermath

As the Second Battle of Munich had begun, the government of the German Union had given specific orders to the military down in Bavaria to not execute any captured prisoner, no matter the circumstances. President of the Union, Karl Liebknecht, hoped to use the situation of the putsch to his advantage. After the battle, by keeping those who participated in the war alive to see themselves put on a trial and be charged with treason, it would send a message to anyone else who opposed the new state. His tactic proved effective, as after Munich was retaken, the few hundred men who had been captured and did not flee were shipped to Berlin via train for a very publicized trial.

In what became known as the Munich Trials, over 200 men were tried with treason against the state and sentenced to death. Despite few protests and claims that the trial was a sham and undemocratic, few were bothered by these events. As a result, with their deaths also came the death of the German anti-socialist movement, sparking an invisible migration of those opposed to the government to Austria, seeing the futility in continuing the fight in the mainland. Due to this, with political stability secured, the Social Protection Act would eventually be removed one year later, a needed change for the lives of the German civilians.