From Backroom to Beerhall - Hitler's Munich Years
Created | Updated Apr 19, 2016
As a study of the life of Adolf Hitler, this is perhaps the most interesting and revealing period. While the achievements of later years would heavily involve figures such as Goebbles, Göring and Himmler1, the bulk of the success Hitler achieved with the party in these early years was the result of his own input and the changes he made under his own steam are alarming testament to what he was capable of achieving with little support or organisation.
The Aftermath of War
After the first world war Germany was forced to sign a 'war guilt' clause and accept vast and, ultimately ruinous, financial repairations as part of the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Germany also had to accept the new socialist Government hastily assembled as the allies refused to negotiate with the German Kasier. So it was to a defeated and embittered nation governed by an unpoular Government with no real legitimacy that Hitler returned from the front. Munich, in the southern German state of Bavaria, was where Hitler returned to. Since its unification in 1871 Germany had been ruled from Prussia2,in the North of Germany, and its capital, Berlin. But it was in Bavaria where the political upheaval was at its greatest, with frequent shifts of power, struggles for control and not infrequent violence bordering on serious civil disturbance. Coups, executions and many innocent deaths were part and parcel of an extraordinary year in post war Munich, with Hitler right in the middle of it. When the dust settled it was the extreme right3 , predominantly the existing military, political and judicial elite, who had established control of Bavaria. Naturally, they were keen to assert their authority and paint the left- bolshevics, communists and socialists- as the enemies of the state, and the cause of the all the disturbance. For this they utilised, among other things, the army.
Pushed into Politics
After the war Hitler, unlike many of his colleagues, would avoid demobilisation until 1920. Perhaps because of his success as a battalion representative his superiors felt they had a use for him. His role initially, ironically, required him to encourage support for the post-war Socialist administration. However a change of political circumstance in Bavaria found him now in his more natural position, delivering speeches (often with familliar pro-German, anti-semeitic content) on behalf of the right, which had reasserted itself dramatically in Bavaria. Keen to foster the spirit of fanatical nationalism within the city, Hitler's superiors then sent him to size up a small emerging organisation called the DAP4 - The German Worker's Party. The Party had been founded by railway toolmaker Anton Drexler who was so impressed by Hitler when he got up to speak5 that he appraoched Hitler afterwards, pushed a leaflet into his hands and asked him to come again. Several days later, with Hitler still considering this request, a postcard arrived, informing him that he had been accepted into the party.
Gimmee an 'N' Gimmee an 'S'
Hitler's arrival in the DAP coincided with its attempts to make itself more than just one of many little right wing groups6 doing nothing more than existing. Hitler's gift as an orator quickly made him the rising star of the party and hundreds, even thousands, were attending party meetings, increasingly drawn to hear Hitler speak. As it became more and more apparent that Hitler was key to the the party's expansion (bigger audiences were producing not only revenue from ticket sales, but also a vastly expanding membership7) Drexler offered Hitler chairmanship of the party several times. Oddly, Hitler repeatedly turned the offer down, it seems likely that he was anxious to avoid the workload associated with the role- Hitler would never be a man able to apply himself to the drudgery of routine bureaucracy.
It was also during this period that the party grew into something the modern world would begin to recognise- in name at least. To the initials DAP were added 'N' and 'S' -nationalsozialistische so that now the full title read 'Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter Partei'. From here it was a phonoetic abbreviation away from what we now know as the Nazi party.
A Small Fish in a Big Pond
For all his success, Hitler was still a relative nobody in the world of Bavarian politics. Not only was he dwarfed by the presence of figures such as war hero General Ludendorff, the party was still short of cash8. Here Hitler got a lucky break, attracting, among his new-found following, admirers who were able to provide financial support and introduce the party to other backers who provided both finance and political influence.
While he was providing expansion for his party in some areas Hitler was decisively obstructing it in others. His objections ultimately caused the collapse of a proposed merger with another organisation in 1921. Several months later, with Hitler away in Berlin, another merger was progressing to it's advanced stages. Hitler, returning from Berlin, exploded with rage and resigned from the party. Whether this was a calculated political gambit or merely (and perhaps more likely) a tantrum cannot be said for certain. Either way, it paid off. Hitler was deemed sufficiently essential to the party's progress that he was invited to return to the party and given the leadership and dictatorial control.
The Munich Putsch
In 1922 Mussolini's 'March on Rome'9 gave the balding Italian control of Italy and undoubtedly influenced the progression of the Nazi Party in Munich. The Party now included an affiliate paramilitary wing developed as a bodyguard for their often aggressive meetings, the Storm Section, or SA. The SA was increasingly used to bully and intimidate political oppponents and to flaunt the party's increasing strength with it's provocative marches and rallies.
At this stage Hitler's dominance of the party was often greater on paper than it was in practise, especially with the SA. The Nazis had built popular support on action and dynamism, but would never be able to sustain this support if all they ever actually did was stage rallies and mass meetings. The party's opposition of parliamentary democracy, while in keeping with the views of the German people, also meant that they had no real political power. It was a measure of the extraordinary nature of the political climate at this time that, when the move to take power was ultimately made, it was to avoid being beaten to it by, of all people, the Bavarian Government. The rumour going around was the triumvirate in charge of the state had planned to make its move for control of Germany in a coup, although in the end it seemed that the Nazi Putsch was more likely to force their hand than pre-empt their action. Gustav Ritter von Kahr, the leader of the Bavarian Triumverate, was giving a speech at the Bürgerbräu Beer Hall in Munich when the Putsch was launched. Hitler, flanked by armed stormtroopers, burst into the hall and announced that the revolution had begun and the hall was surrounded by 600 armed men. Kahr and his colleagues were then ushered into a backroom where Hitler endeavoured to persuade the men, with apparent success, to declare their support for the Putsch. Everything seemed to be going according to plan.
The whole affair, however, had been hastily arranged and the planning was limited. A seperate detatchment had failed to take control of the Engineering Barracks, and Hitler went to intervene. As he did he left Ludendorff10 in charge and the General naively allowed the ruling trio to leave, accepting their promise that they would return. Meanwhile the police and army barracks had not been secured. The coup was rapidly collapsing.
From the top it was a quick drop back to the bottom again. There was some fighting between the Nazis and the local troops, with deaths on both sides and Hitler taking a bullet. He himself managed to escape the city, but did not get far. Trial and imprisonment would follow, but this had already been one of the most significant periods of his life so far.
1Some of whom you can read about here.2Prussia had been the German state which, under the Chancellorship of Bismarck, forced unification on the southern states, Bavaria included.3The political right wing establishment in Bavaria. This was never one distinct group, but more a 'mindset' covering various groups who lent towards nationalist, traditionalism and conservative views. We'll just call them 'the right' from now on, if that's ok4 Deutsche Arbeitte Partei.5He reportedly remarked 'By God, he's got a gob- we could use him'.6There were reckoned to be as many as 20 in Bavaria alone at this time, many had sprung up in the months after the war.7 Between January and December 1920 the membership increased from 190 to 2,000.8 Although numbers were increasing, the regular attendance at meetings of maybe a couple of thousand members would not finance scehmes like a party newspaper, to take it up to the next political level9Mussolini and his army of squadristi marched into Rome10 Although Hitler was technically leader of the NSDAP, Ludendorff's standing as a 'war hero' allowed him to maintain a high status within the party and ensured his importance to such an endeavour
