THE FORGOTTEN CRISIS IN THE YEAR OF HITLER’S COUP

A SUPERB DISSECTION OF THE DICTATOR’S FIRST ATTEMPT TO SEIZE POWER

Author: Mark Jones Publisher: Basic Books Price: £25 On Sale: 25 May 2023

There is a popular perception that Adolf Hitler first appeared in 1933 when he became the German chancellor. In reality his rise to dominance commenced a decade earlier when he tried to take power just after Benito Mussolini installed himself in Italy.

Mark Jones’ latest book looking at 1923 remedies such misconceptions. As he points out, it was actually Hitler’s breakthrough year. With a meticulous eye for detail, Jones shows what led to Hitler’s November 1923 Munich coup and why it failed. He also illustrates how a series of overlapping crises and tensions in Bavaria, Prussia and the Rhineland created a perfect storm.

The model for Hitler’s future dictatorship can be seen in Gustav Ritter von Kahr, who that summer declared a state of emergency in

Bavaria and made himself state commissar. Kahr took a dim view of Hitler and his street thugs. Inspired by Mussolini’s march on Rome the previous year, Hitler launched the Munich Beer Hall Putsch against Kahr. Hitler was encouraged by support from the highly respected General Erich Ludendorff and many other middle class conservatives.

In the end the police swiftly put paid to Hitler’s ambitions and his supporters fled in panic. He narrowly escaped being shot during the brief mayhem and ended up in prison. Crucially, his conservative allies abandoned him, a betrayal he never forgot. As for Kahr, he was murdered by the Nazis in 1934. Written with great verve, this is a fine and welcome analysis of a crucial year in history.