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What happened during Adolf Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch in 1923?

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Portrait of Adolf Hitler in a collared shirt and tie, facing forward with a serious expression, circa 1933. — Adolf Hitler Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, c. 1933.

The Beer Hall Putsch was an unsuccessful attempt by Adolf Hitler and General Erich Ludendorff to seize power in Munich on November 8–9, 1923, with the goal of triggering a nationwide insurrection against the Weimar Republic.123

On November 8, Hitler and armed members of the SA seized a meeting at a beer hall, forcing Bavarian officials to support his proclamation of a national revolution. However, the officials disowned him once they were free. The following day, approximately 3,000 Nazis marched toward the city center, where they were met by police gunfire. The confrontation resulted in the deaths of 14 Nazis and four policemen.4

Hitler was arrested and tried for treason. Although sentenced to five years in prison, he served only nine months at Landsberg, where he began writing Mein Kampf. The failed coup provided Hitler with significant publicity and led him to the strategic decision to pursue power through legal means rather than armed insurrection.34