Weimar Germany: The Kapp Putsch of 1920 The of March 1920 was a right-wing coup attempt aimed at overthrowing the fledgling Weimar Republic and establishing an autocratic government. While the coup successfully seized control of Berlin for several days, it ultimately collapsed due to a massive general strike and the refusal of the civil service to cooperate. 1. Origins and Causes
: The strike led to a brief communist uprising in the Ruhr region (the Ruhr Red Army), which the government—ironically—used the Reichswehr to suppress violently. WEIMAR GERMANY: Kapp Putsch 1920
The Putsch exposed the fragile nature of the Weimar Republic and the deep-seated divisions within German society. Weimar Germany: The Kapp Putsch of 1920 The
On March 13, 1920, the Ehrhardt Brigade marched into Berlin. The regular army ( Reichswehr ) refused to fire on the rebels, with General Hans von Seeckt famously stating, Origins and Causes : The strike led to
: The Weimar government, including President Friedrich Ebert and Chancellor Gustav Bauer, fled the city to Dresden and then Stuttgart.
The Putsch was rooted in the deep resentment following Germany’s defeat in World War I and the perceived betrayal of the Treaty of Versailles .