Editor’s note: This story was originally published on Nov. 8, 2024.
A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
On Nov. 8, 1923, Adolf Hitler launched his first attempt at seizing power in Germany with a failed coup in Munich that came to be known as the “Beer-Hall Putsch.”
Putsch is a Swiss-German word for violent attempt to overthrow a government.
On Nov. 8-9, after taking control of a beer hall where a local commissioner was speaking, 2,000 Nazis marched into the Munich town center but were confronted by police. The battle resulted in deaths of more than a dozen Nazis, four police officers and a bystander.
Hitler escaped capture, but was arrested two days later.
For many, it was the first time the name Adolf Hitler was heard. The Deseret News provided front page coverage of the “Munich Putsch,” but Hitler was not the total focus of the stories.
Hitler was tried for treason and imprisoned. Historians say he enjoyed special treatment while jailed in 1924, being allowed hundreds of visitors — sometimes unsupervised — including some 30 to 40 to celebrate his 35th birthday. He served nine months of his five-year sentence.
Hitler spent much of his time in prison writing his infamous manifesto “Mein Kampf,” or “My Struggle,” detailing his ideology and ambitions.
It wasn’t until a decade later, in 1933, that the Nazis would come to power through parliamentary elections.
After ascending to power, the Austrian-born politician was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until 1945. His actions in Europe started World War II, and was central to the perpetration of the Holocaust: the genocide of about six million Jews and millions of other victims.
Hitler died by suicide in his Berlin bunker on April 30, 1945.
Here are some stories from Deseret News archives about Hitler’s early exploits and reign of terror:
“New documents surface on Hitler’s jail time”
“German state questions Mein Kampf publication plan”
“This week in history: The Venlo Incident”
“This week in history: Hindenburg elected German president”
“This week in history: Hitler becomes leader of Nazi Party”
“Scrapbook of the 20th century: Adolf Hitler’s rise to power”