“Beer Hall Putsch”: depicted on the pages of Soviet newspapers

Abstract

Background. Despite numerous works devoted to the study of National Socialism and the biography of A. Hitler, in domestic historiography there are no works devoted to how the process of the formation of fascism in Germany and, in particular, the phenomenon of the “Beer Hall Putsch” was reflected in Soviet periodicals. This historiographical situation determines the purpose of this article – to study the process of depicting the most im-portant episode in the development of National Socialism on the pages of Soviet newspapers. Materials and methods. To answer the questions posed in the work, materials from Soviet newspapers of 1923 were used. Moreover, not only reports and a few analytical ma-terials from central newspapers, but also provincial publications were analyzed. Results. As a result of the study, the author came to the conclusion that Soviet newspapers formed their idea of the “Beer Hall Putsch” in Munich based on information from Western agencies, newspapers and radio intercepts. The Soviet press told readers that in the autumn of 1923 the threat of the fascists seizing power began to be embodied in concrete actions. At the beginning of November, Bavaria presented an ultimatum to the imperial government. The newspapers described the unfolding events in detail. The first news of the “putsch” was transmitted to Moscow by “Pravda” own correspondent in Berlin around midday on November 9, and the first reports appeared in the newspapers a day later. The newspapers devoted much attention to the reasons for the failure of the coup. First of all, the treacherous role of Gustav von Kahr and Otto von Lossow was noted. The most combat-ready part of the fascists, Hermann Ehrhardt’s brigade, did not support Hitler’s speech, and neither did parts of the Reichswehr, as Hitler had counted on. Hitler’s speech did not find support among his supporters throughout Germany. The all-German government was supported by the Social Democrats. An important factor was the position of France, which declared the inadmissibility of the formation of a nationalist dictatorship. Conclusions. In general, it can be noted that Soviet newspapers, drawing mainly on information from Western media, cov-ered the events of the “Beer Hall Putsch” quite objectively and in detail.

Keywords

• bavaria
• newspapers
• germany
• hitler
• kahr
• national socialism
• putsch
• fascism