‘The Munich putsch was a total failure for Adolf Hitler.’ How far do you agree
with this statement? Explain your answer. [10 marks]
Munich putsch was a failure in the short term, however, in the long term, it can be con-
sidered a success. The putsch lasted for only 2-3 days and the leaders, Ludendorf and Hitler
were put on trial for high treason. Hitler was given 5 years n prison, but only served 9
months, during that time he wrote his book ‘Mein Kampf’ (‘My Suffering’), which was pub-
lished in 1925. This book included his ideas and beliefs and was a massive success as a liter-
acy work, as well as a way of getting Nazis’ ideas into the masses.
In the short term, a year of the timeframe within the Putsch, it can be considered as a total
failure for Hitler. This is supported by the fact that the putsch failed from the very start:
Hitler's original supporters, Kahr and Lossaw, refused to join him and have betrayed him in
the act. The Weimar government hit back on the rebels in the brief exchange of shots
between police and Nazis. The rebellion itself was massive chaos, which Hitler fled via car,
while Ludendorff and others stayed out to armed police. With this said, it can be argued that
this action was part of Hitler's failure since it can portray him as a weak and frightful leader.
Munich putsch was also a failure as Nazis were majorly humiliated and people did not rise to
them. Moreover, leaders have been arrested and charged with high treason. Hitler was also
sent to prison and banned from public speaking until 1927; this is a
On another side, the putsch was a success, as even the trial was beneficial for Hitler – he
gained enormous publicity for himself and his ideas. Adolf managed to impress the judges so
much that he and his accomplices got off very lightly, Ludendorff was freed altogether, and
Hitler was given only five years in prison, despite the legal guidelines of a life sentence for
high treason. Nevertheless, Hitler ended up serving only 9 months in the great comfort of
Landsberg castle. this was the positive output of the putsch: Hitler had was virtually made a
public figure with a massive spread of ideas, as well as gaining support and sympathy of im-
portant figures both in the legal system and army.
Overall, Munich putsch was both a failure and a success, and I somewhat far agree with the
statement. Although arty got banned, Munich putsch gave Hitler a revelation that he needs
to change his tactics to gain success. This was very important for their later success, thus the
rebellion did have, to some extent, positive outcomes.
