In 1923, Hitler played a beer hall riot, this riot was very unsuccessful, not only failed miserably, but also sent a large number of Nazi Party members to prison, even Hitler himself was sent to court, and was also accused of treason, so how did Hitler, who went to court, escape the accusation of treason, and how to regroup after he was released from prison?
Hitler on trial
It must be said that the beer hall riot was a huge failure, when Hitler and Ludendorff led people to storm the army headquarters in Munich.
They were blocked in the narrow streets by more than a hundred wehrmacht policemen. The two sides faced off at the time, but then clashes broke out.
At that time, it was not known who fired the first shot, but after a gunshot, a scuffle broke out between the two sides. The nazis, most of whom were salted fish, could not beat the police at all, and were scattered in an instant.
In this chaotic battle, Goering was unfortunately shot, he was shot in the thigh, this shot can be regarded as his life, although fortunately did not die, but the consequences are very serious, life led to him later because of taking morphine to relieve too much pain, infected with drug addiction, and eventually became a big fat man.
Hitler was the first to lie down on the ground, and most of the Nazis chose to do the same thing as him. The future fuehrer of the Third German Reich then chose to run, fleeing with his thighs on the spot.
According to the testimony of Dr. Walter Schultz, a follower of his own party who was also participating in the march at the time, as well as the testimony of other witnesses present,
Hitler was the first to jump up and run backwards, abandoning his unsure companions lying on the street, sprinting at a speed of 100 meters into a waiting car and driving immediately towards Hanf Stengel's country house in Ufen.
There he was cared for by Putz's wife and sister. It was here that it wasn't long before he was caught.
In contrast, Ludendorff was full of courage and walked alone to the other side, and miraculously he arrived at the Odeon Square where he was supposed to go.
But that didn't help, and now Ludendorff had to be sent to trial along with Hitler. Wounded, Goering fled to Austria after being rescued by a bank owner
It is worth mentioning that the owner is a Jew.
Hess also fled to Austria, but the unfortunate Röhm could only surrender to the army because of the collapse of his troops, and Streicher was arrested and imprisoned.
Now all but Goering and Hess have been arrested. If nothing else, the Nazi Party is doomed this time. Hitler's political career is likely to come to an end.
2. Absurd judgment
In fact, Hitler's crime is really not small,
According to the German Constitution of Weimar at the time, he and his henchmen would have to be convicted of treason, enough to be shot.
And Hitler himself is even more funny, he actually has no German citizenship at this time, his nationality is still Austrian, if you really count,
He was also charged with illegal entry and inciting riots.
In other words, if nothing else, Hitler would have been shot, or hanged, or at the slightest, in life.
But Hitler's luck was good,
Bavarian Justice Minister Franz Gutner was an old friend of Hitler's
He himself greatly admired Hitler and admired the Nazi Party's set. So in this trial he appeared as a protector of Hitler and the Nazis. Before the trial began, he began to move as much as possible, and his black box operation was very successful,
Let the judges maintain a feeling of indifference and leniency about this trial
So that Hitler could have a chance to defend himself.
And Hitler was well aware that this was not the end of his political career, but a climb.
Because this trial not only had reporters from major German newspapers, but also famous newspapers from various countries, all of whom came to cover the trial.
Hitler saw that this trial would not only not ruin his future, but would provide him with a new forum.
This allowed him not only to discredit himself and his innocence in this pulpit, but also to arrest him from the Bavarian authorities
More importantly, for the first time, he was able to spread his fame beyond Bavaria and even to germany as a whole.
So this absurd trial began on February 26, 1924. Faced with the question of whether to admit treason, Hitler said:
"Yes, that's what we want to do; we want to destroy the country!"
As soon as these words came out, the audience was shocked, and then Hitler said:
"I alone take full responsibility. But I didn't become a criminal because of this... Opposing the traitors of 1918 is not at all treason. ”
Hitler's words suddenly silenced the audience, and a storm was brewing.
Then Hitler said that if he was to commit treason,
So will Von Karl, the Bavarian governor who supported him at the time, also be tried? Two other people, the commander of the Bavarian military district von Losov and the police chief von Sessel, who have also expressed their support, are they going to be tried?
Admittedly, Hitler very cunningly reversed the form, and the three present could not deny this, because it was a fact. Now that Hitler has said this, it is not good for them to continue to accuse Hitler. Hitler, on the other hand, also had the opportunity to exonerate himself.
Third, the cunning Hitler
At this time, Hitler was like a drama and began to talk about his speech endlessly. The first speech lasted four hours, and I didn't feel tired. Although it looks funny, the effect is remarkable.
Hitler accused the "November sinners" in court of being at the expense of Germany, and all he Hitler and his comrade-in-arms Ludendorff, as well as the Nazi Party, had to do was revive the country.
In the context of German society at the time, Hitler's speech sparked a chord with Hitler's words in court at the time, whether they supported the Nazi Party or not.
Since the end of the First World War and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles,
Germany was forced to cede territory, saddled with large reparations, and its own Saar was occupied by France, plus a demilitarized rhine zone
All this made the Germans feel deeply humiliated. Hitler cleverly exploited the sentiments of the German people in order to exonerate himself. This technique has been judged to be useful,
Because according to the practice of Western courts, once the jury makes a different judgment, it is difficult to convict according to the original legal procedure.
Eventually, the court pronounced Ludendorff's release out of Ludendorff's prestige, while Hitler and his henchmen were convicted. However, the punishment for Hitler was very limited, far below the normal standard of punishment.
Although according to Article 81 of the Weimar German Penal Code, anyone who attempts to change the Constitution of Germany or the Constitution of any state by force shall be sentenced to life imprisonment.
But Hitler became an exception.
For Hitler's punishment,
Fined just one hundred marks, he was sentenced to 5 years in the former battery prison in Landsburg
。 Moreover, the judges and the jury felt that the verdict was too strict and did not meet their original intentions. So they deliberately added another one,
Hitler was released on bail after serving nine months in prison
。 Attempts by the Bavarian police to expel Hitler on the grounds that he still had Austrian citizenship and were foreigners were rejected by the courts.
By the way, Hitler's cell in prison was no different from a hotel room.
It can be said that the result of this trial is simply incredible, but in the large social environment of Germany at that time, it is understandable. Because what Hitler said was what most Germans thought, judges and juries were reluctant to put Hitler to death for a single riot.
Not only did he exonerate himself, but most newspapers promoted Hitler as a "hero" because of his demagogic remarks.
And all this became Hitler's future political capital.
epilogue
The verdict was rendered on April 1, 1924. Less than nine months later, on 20 December, Hitler was released from prison to continue his campaign to overthrow the German government in Weimar. This is a very bad signal, it means that the law is the law, and if you really want to carry out this fascist activity, then you will not be punished, even if you have committed treason. And this also indicates the dark future of Germany.
Reference: Hitler Biography
"Reading Hitler"