Adolf Hitler (Part 2)
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How did Hitler build a movement in Germany?
How does one actually take power?
What was the significance of the Beer Hall Putsch?
By November of 1923, Adolf Hitler had built a movement. But many people start movements. Any lunatic can get a few dozen followers together if he has a modicum of charisma. At any given time in any given nation, there are dozens of new movements, whether religious, political, cultural, or artistic. And yet, very few of them ever actually do anything. And almost none of them actually take power. So on part one, we looked at how Hitler built a movement.
How did Hitler sway the crowd during his speeches?
And in this episode, we will look at the mechanics of how he actually took power for himself and for the National Socialist Movement. When we left Hitler, he was still unknown to the majority of Germans. When we end this episode, he will be the Fuhrer, the undisputed leader of all of Germany. This episode is a warning. It's obviously a look at one way, at least, that tyranny can overtake a nation. But it's also a playbook because the rules for taking power are the same, whether you're a dictator or someone who is trying to do good in the world. So let's look into how you can copy that playbook. So let's get into it. My name is Ben Wilson, and this is How to Take Over the World.
I'm going to show you how great I am. This is how society fell off. I just want to say from the bottom of my heart, I'd like to take this chance to apologize to absolutely nobody.
It's November 8th, 1923, a cold autumn night in Munich. The Bürgerbräukeller was one of the largest beer halls in the city, and tonight it was packed. 3,000 people had crowded in to hear a speech from the state commissioner, Gustav von Kahr.
What were the key lessons from the Beer Hall Putsch?
Kahr was droning on, the crowd was fidgeting. Waitresses wove between the packed tables, delivering steins of beer to men in great coats. The air was thick with cigarette smoke and murmured conversation. And then, at around 8.30 in the evening, the side doors of the hall burst open. In stormed Adolf Hitler, flanked by a detachment of stormtroopers in steel helmets, armed to the teeth. Outside, the SA had completely surrounded the building. A heavy machine gun had been wheeled up to the entrance and pointed at the door. Hitler pushed through the crowd, shouldering his way to the front of the hall. He climbed up on a table, he raised his pistol, and he fired a single shot into the ceiling. The room went silent.
The national revolution has broken out, Hitler shouted into the stunned hall. The Bavarian government is deposed. This hall is surrounded by 600 men. Nobody is allowed to leave. This was, of course, the Beer Hall Putsch. And over the next 18 hours, Adolf Hitler would attempt to overthrow the government of Bavaria and from there, march on Berlin itself. So let's back up for a moment and explain what brought us here. Germany in 1923 is coming apart. The government and the government from this time is called the Weimar government because the Weimar Republic, because of where it's founded. So the Weimar government had failed to make its reparation payments under the Treaty of Versailles, which is the treaty that ends World War One.
And in retaliation, France and Belgium had occupied the Ruhr Valley, Germany's industrial heartland. The German government responded by telling workers to go on strike, passive resistance, and simply printed money to pay them while they weren't working. The result was the most catastrophic hyperinflation in modern economic history. By the time of the Beer Hall Putsch, November 1923, a single US dollar, one US dollar, was worth 4.2 trillion German marks. People were literally wheelbarrowing cash to the bakery to buy a single loaf of bread. Okay. Total economic devastation. Pensions are wiped out. Savings destroyed. The middle class is annihilated. The country is in chaos. And Adolf Hitler, who is now the head of the fledgling National Socialist German Workers Party, the NSDAP,
saw his moment, right? You don't know how long this is going to last, but the country is in real crisis and people are looking for new solutions to this terrible crisis. They're in a mood of, well, whatever got us here is not working.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
How did Hitler build a movement in Germany?
0:00–0:03
2
What was the significance of the Beer Hall Putsch?
0:03–0:31
3
How did Hitler sway the crowd during his speeches?
0:31–1:49
4
What were the key lessons from the Beer Hall Putsch?
1:49–1:07:09
5
What were the key demands in the 25 Point Program?
1:07:09–1:14:15
6
How did Hitler's views on Christianity influence his political strategy?
1:14:15–1:18:44
7
What were the implications of the Reichstag Fire?
1:18:44–1:22:42
8
How did Hitler consolidate power after becoming Chancellor?
1:22:42–2:18:55