Kapp Putsch

Kapp Putsch. The Kapp Putsch was a failed right-wing coup d'état in March 1920 against the nascent Weimar Republic. Led by civil servant Wolfgang Kapp and General Walther von Lüttwitz, the putschists, primarily Freikorps paramilitaries like the Marinebrigade Ehrhardt, briefly seized control of the Berlin government. The coup collapsed after just five days due to a decisive general strike called by the legitimate government and a lack of support from the Reichswehr and civil service, but it exposed the profound fragility of the republic in its early years.

Background

The putsch emerged from the turbulent aftermath of World War I and the German Revolution of 1918–1919. The Treaty of Versailles, signed by the SPD-led government, imposed severe military restrictions, including the drastic reduction of the German Army and the dissolution of the Freikorps. These nationalist paramilitaries, which had been used to crush leftist uprisings like the Spartacist uprising, were now slated for disbandment. Key military figures, including Walther von Lüttwitz, commander of Reichswehr Group Command I in Berlin, vehemently opposed these measures. He allied with the ultra-nationalist civil servant Wolfgang Kapp, founder of the German Fatherland Party, and the leader of the Marinebrigade Ehrhardt, Hermann Ehrhardt. Their conspiracy found sympathy among conservative elites in the Reichswehr and East Elbian Junker aristocracy who rejected the legitimacy of the "November Criminals" in Weimar.

The Putsch

On the night of 12–13 March 1920, the Marinebrigade Ehrhardt entered Berlin, greeted by supporters including the young Hitler. Facing the insurgent troops, the Reichswehr under General Hans von Seeckt adopted a position of neutrality, famously stating "Reichswehr does not fire on Reichswehr." The legitimate government, led by Chancellor Gustav Bauer and President Friedrich Ebert, fled first to Dresden and then to Stuttgart to avoid arrest. In Berlin, Kapp declared himself chancellor and von Lüttwitz Reichswehr minister, attempting to form a dictatorial directorate. However, the putschists received little active support from the state bureaucracy or the military high command. Crucially, the government from exile called for a general strike, which was massively supported by trade unions, civil servants, and even the SPD. This total shutdown of transport, utilities, and industry in Berlin and across Germany paralyzed the putschists' administration and demonstrated the power of organized labor.

Aftermath

The complete failure of the putsch became undeniable by 17 March, leading Kapp and Lüttwitz to flee; Kapp escaped to Sweden. The legal government returned to Berlin, but the crisis triggered significant secondary unrest. In the Ruhr, left-wing workers, armed during the strike, formed the Red Ruhr Army and initiated a large-scale uprising against both the returned government and remaining Freikorps, which was brutally suppressed by Reichswehr and Freikorps units. Politically, the collapse of the coup led to the resignation of the Bauer cabinet and its replacement by the Müller I cabinet. While the putsch leaders largely evaded severe punishment, the event had a lasting constitutional impact, leading to the banning of the Marinebrigade Ehrhardt and the formation of its successor, the clandestine Organisation Consul, which was responsible for political assassinations including that of Walther Rathenau.

Legacy

The Kapp Putsch proved a critical test for the Weimar Republic, revealing both its weaknesses and a source of its defense. It demonstrated the unreliability of the Reichswehr as a pillar of the state and the deep antipathy of the old elite in the Wilhelmine establishment. Conversely, the successful general strike, supported by groups from the SPD to the KPD, showcased a rare moment of unified republican resolve. The event entrenched a pattern of political violence, as seen in Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch in 1923, and accelerated the radicalization of both the far-right, which moved towards underground terrorism, and the far-left, which grew disillusioned with the state. Historians view it as a pivotal early crisis that foreshadowed the structural conflicts and institutional fragilities that would ultimately contribute to the republic's collapse and the rise of the Nazi Party.

Category:1920 in Germany Category:Coups d'état Category:Weimar Republic