The Kapp Putsch
The Putsch
- The conspirators were also having considerable difficulty finding people willing to accept positions in the new Cabinet.
Friedrich Ebert
- Decided to flee Berlin on March 12th, when the Kappists started their march
- He did this to avoid arrest and to avoid opposition to the reactionaries
The Putsch
- A Foreign Press Censor was established and Kapp announced his intention to issue a proclamation informing Germany of his intentions and of the situation.
- However, he soon found himself unable to do so. Herr Schnitzler, the “press chief”, could not be found, and the press offices seemed unable to get Kapp’s manifesto ready for publication.
- A number of senior officers did not report for duty in the following days and chaos ruled in several garrisons outside Berlin, for which the official explanation was that nobody knew who was entitled to give orders and what was happening in the capital.
Wolfgang Kapp and Walther von Lüttwitz
- The conspirators had two main aims in mind: to avoid the implementation of certain articles in the Treaty of Versailles (such as the reduction of the German army) and to replace the government of the Republic with a Rightist regime.
Wolfgang Kapp
- Wolfang was a right-wing journalist
- He believed that Friedrich Ebert stood for the humiliation of the Treaty of Versallies
- This view was shared with many leading officers of the German Army, who Kapp turned to for support
- Two significant officers chose to support him; General Lüddwitz and General Ludendorff
What was the
Kapp Putch?
- The Kapp Putch was an attempted coup (a plan to overthrow) which aimed to undo the German Revolution of 1918- 1919, overthrow the Weimar Republic and establish a right-wing autocratic government in it's place.
- Putsch is "coup" in english
The Putsch
- The troops had specific instructions to maintain order and control. Machine-guns were set up in key positions within and around the city
- At certain street corners and on the walls of institutions designated as key objectives, the Putschists put up posters reading “Whoever proceeds will be shot!”
- Lüttwitz, Kapp, and their followers started taking over governmental offices in Berlin and ensuring the support of the press.
The Putsch
- As the troops loyal to the Putsch leaders were marching into the capital, hired airplanes performed stunts to maintain a festive and calm atmosphere. Black, white and red flags appeared in many windows, and some Berliners even threw flowers at soldiers who marched through the streets.
- However, workers in Berlin took no pains to conceal their dislike of what was going on. They were found stalling or trying to find reason not to do their jobs.