MEETING ROOM – SA & SS mingle In A german RESTAURANT

munich, 1930

Nazi Party devotees would often gather for some friendly Gemütlichkeit and a few beers in their local rathskeller. The notorious 8 November 1923 ‘Beer Hall Putsch’ took place in a similar establishment located in Munich – the Bürgerbräukeller – when Hitler and his cohorts sought to overthrow the state government of Bavaria, the first phase of supplanting the legitimate Weimar Republic leadership.

Planning for the ‘revolution’ began in 1921 after Hitler took control of the German Workers’ Party and changed its name to the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. Hundreds joined Hitler for the beer hall event, during which he announced, with a gunshot, that the “National Revolution” had begun. The shot hit the ceiling and the plan lost steam quickly as police and military took control, with several killed on both sides. After hiding out in an attic for two days, Hitler was arrested, tried and sentenced to a fiveyear prison term, but managed to use the trial to promote his cause.