Germany 1923: Hyperinflation, Hitler’s Putsch, and Democracy in Crisis

Historian Ullrich (Eight Days in May) argues in this comprehensive chronicle of a tumultuous year in German history that the Weimar Republic was “not condemned to failure from its onset.” Significant events came as a “deluge” in 1923, Ullrich points out, including the reoccupation of part of Germany by France and Belgium, severe hyperinflation, Soviet attempts to foment a communist revolution in Germany, and Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch in Munich. Contesting a commonsense idea formed in the immediate aftermath of Hitler’s rise to power—and promoted by Thomas Mann, Stefan Zweig, and others—that the year’s suffering and uncertainty filled Germans with a bitterness that readied them to accept Nazi barbarity, Ullrich instead argues that the resilience the republic evinced in ’23 indicates that Germany might have been able—under a determined head of state, rather than the lackluster Hindenburg—to likewise weather the similarly difficult period of 1930–1932 that led to Hitler’s rise. However, Ullrich adds that had Hitler received the much lengthier prison sentence the putsch merited—the light sentence was considered outrageous by many at the time—it would have destroyed his political ambitions. That argument somewhat contradicts Ullrich’s concluding statement that “there was no direct line between the events of [1923] and Hitler being given power in Germany.” Still, this captivating account sheds much light on a complex and consequential era. WWII history buffs should take note. (Sept.)