In 1923, Hitler attempted to overthrow the Government, believing that they were handling the financial crisis caused by hyperinflation terribly.
In layman’s terms, hyperinflation was caused when the German Weimar Government was trying to pay off their war debts so printed more money to pay them. A lot of shop and factory owners noticed that the people had more money to spare so increased their prices. Seeing this, the Weimar Government printed even more money, so the shopkeepers raised their prices even more. It carried on in a circle like this until a wheelbarrow full of money couldn’t buy you a loaf of bread and 1 US dollar was worth 4.21 trillion marks by 1923.
This Coup was colloquially known as the Munich Putsch or Beer Hall Putsch. On the evening of November the 8th, 1923, Hitler, assisted by Eric Ludendorff, former German war hero, and some Stormtroopers stormed Bürgerbräukeller, a popular beer hall in Munich, firing a shot into the air and yelled “The national revolution has broken out! The hall is surrounded by six hundred men. Nobody is allowed to leave.”
He retreated to a back room with Gustav Ritter von Kahr, Hans Ritter von Seisser, Otto von Lossow and a handgun. Hitler had to deal with a crisis elsewhere and during this time, Ludendorff let Kahr, Seisser and Lossow go. The hall was held hostage for many hours and by the morning, Hitler had become impatient.
Ludendorff called for them to march and so they did. 2000 of Hitler’s supporters including Ludendorff, Hitler, Goering and Rohm marched down the street towards the ministry of defence. 130 soldiers greeted them. They stood still at the end of the street for a moment and then began marching again. The soldiers raised their rifles, took aim and fired. Almost 2 dozen men were killed, 4 of which were soldiers. The man to Hitler’s left was taken out. Since they were linking arms, the force of him falling popped Hitler’s arm out of its socket. He staggered away, assisted by other people. Ludendorff continued to march and was arrested. Hitler later made up the story that he saved a child from the crossfires.
Hitler was eventually tracked down to the house of Ernst Hanfstaengl, a close friend of his and future employee of Former US President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, on the 11th of November for high treason. He was brought before a tribunal in February and the trial turned into a speech for Hitler, where he essentially said why the Nazi party was so great and why others should vote for them in the next election.
For a crime of high treason, you can be sentenced to life in prison. Hitler was only sentenced to 5 years of which he only served nine months in Landsburg Prison, in a cell that was more of a small flat with jail bars on the windows.
He had friendly treatment from guards, received fan mail and had frequent visits from party members. During this time, he wrote his book, Mein Kampf, which in English translates to My Struggle, in which he talks about his life, ideologies, political views and much more mentioning how he thought Jews were “germs” and society’s “international poisoners” and the only solution was extermination. 228,000 copies were sold from 1925 to 1932 and over a million during the year he came to power, 1933.
He was released from prison and established the SS headed by Heinrich Himmler in 1925. Heinrich was the least physically intimidating Nazi, but he had a way with words, which coerced the opposition into doing Hitler’s bidding. He learnt that the economy had improved, the main source of the Nazi’s rise being the failing economy. However, another financial crisis 4 years later would change everything.