Hitler Stands Trial

Summary

Hitler Stands Trial: A Detailed Summary of HISTORY This Week Episode

Podcast Information:

• Title: HISTORY This Week
• Host/Author: The HISTORY® Channel | Back Pocket Studios
• Episode: Hitler Stands Trial
• Release Date: February 26, 2025

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1. Introduction to the Trial

The episode "Hitler Stands Trial" delves into a pivotal moment in history: Adolf Hitler’s first major attempt to seize power in Germany and the subsequent trial that catapulted him into national prominence. Hosted by Sally Helm, the episode features insights from Peter Ross Range, a renowned journalist and author specializing in Hitler's history.

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2. Background: Hitler's Rise and the Beer Hall Putsch

Early Life and Military Service Adolf Hitler moved to Munich in 1913 from Austria, escaping the Austrian draft and burgeoning nationalist sentiments. With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Hitler eagerly enlisted in the Bavarian army, embodying his commitment to German nationalism.

Economic and Political Turmoil in Weimar Germany Post-war Germany was engulfed in chaos: rampant inflation, economic instability, and political fragmentation plagued the Weimar Republic. Sally Helm notes, "People can't trust that money will have value tomorrow" (06:31). This environment became fertile ground for extremist ideologies.

Formation and Growth of the Nazi Party Hitler’s role as an army educator allowed him to disseminate his nationalist and anti-Semitic ideas. Peter Ross Range explains, "Hitler kind of claims that that was the moment that he realized, 'I could speak'" (08:31). His oratory skills quickly attracted followers, transforming the German Workers Party into the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi Party). By 1923, membership surged from 20,000 to 55,000, positioning the Nazis as a significant force despite being smaller than the Communist and Social Democratic parties (12:31).

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3. The Night of the Putsch: Events Unfold

Planning the Coup Inspired by Mussolini's successful March on Rome, Hitler aimed to replicate the tactic by staging a coup in Munich to overthrow the Weimar government and eventually march on Berlin. The target was a large beer hall meeting led by Gustav von Kahr, the State Commissioner of Bavaria, supported by military leaders Otto von Losso and Colonel Hans Ritter von Seisser (13:13).

The Beer Hall Gathering On the night of November 8, 1923, approximately 3,000 people attended the meeting at the beer hall. Hitler arrived late in a bright red Mercedes, initially garnering little attention (16:30). As Gustav von Kahr began speaking, Hitler made a dramatic entrance, demanded silence, and fired a pistol into the ceiling to seize control (16:53).

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4. Capture and Imprisonment

Initial Attempts and Collapse of the Putsch Despite Hitler’s aggressive moves, the crowd remained largely indifferent. However, with the arrival of General Erich Ludendorff, a revered WWI hero, the situation momentarily seemed under control (20:06). Ludendorff persuaded the key figures to join the coup, leading to temporary solidarity.

Failure and Aftermath By early morning, internal dissent and strategic mistakes undermined the putsch. When Hitler left the beer hall to assess the situation, Ludendorff exploited moments of doubt among the conspirators, leading to the coup's unraveling. The clash between Hitler's forces and Bavarian police resulted in casualties, and Hitler narrowly escaped death with injuries (24:00).

Imprisonment Captured and despondent, Hitler faced imprisonment. He engaged in a hunger strike, but his resolve to reshape Germany through force remained unshaken. The trial, scheduled for late February 1924, presented an opportunity for Hitler to further his political agenda (25:41).

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5. The Trial: Proceedings and Hitler's Performance

Courtroom Dynamics Held in Munich, the courtroom was heavily secured due to fears of violence. Hitler, now a central figure within the Nazi movement, faced ten defendants, including Ludendorff. The atmosphere was charged, with public interest peaking as Hitler entered the courtroom, described as "like a hungry animal" (26:38).

Opening Statements and Prosecution’s Case Prosecutor Stenglein labeled Hitler as "the soul of the enterprise" behind the putsch, a significant indictment that positioned Hitler as the mastermind (27:18).

Hitler’s Defensive Speech Hitler delivered a four-hour opening statement, skillfully portraying himself as a patriot wronged by the Weimar Republic. He recounted his exaggerated hardships and eulogized his military service, while vehemently attacking communists, the social democratic government, and Jews. At 28:07, Range cites Hitler’s declaration:

“I went to Vienna as a world citizen, open-minded world citizen, and I left as a convinced anti-Semite.”

Courtroom Interactions Hitler’s interrogation of witnesses, particularly General Losso, led to heated exchanges. His aggressive questioning strategies and dramatic demeanor turned the trial into a public spectacle, earning him both cheers and notoriety. When a clash occurred between Hitler and Losso, it underscored Hitler's contentious relationship with established military figures (29:20).

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6. Verdict and Aftermath

Courtroom Reaction and Sentencing After 24 days of proceedings, Hitler was convicted of high treason. However, the judge, a right-wing sympathizer, imposed a surprisingly lenient sentence: five years in prison with the possibility of parole after six months—a stark contrast to the gravity of his actions (30:04). The courtroom erupted in cheers, solidifying Hitler's status as a hero among his supporters (30:45).

Public Response The public reaction was overwhelmingly positive, with Munichers celebrating the verdict and rallying behind Hitler. This support marked the beginning of Hitler’s transformation from an obscure extremist to a prominent national figure (31:05).

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7. Historical Impact and Conclusion

Trial as a Propaganda Tool Hitler adeptly used the trial as a platform to broadcast his ideology, turning the courtroom into a stage for his nationalist rhetoric. This public display amplified his influence, leading to widespread media coverage and enhancing his reputation (27:34; 28:19).

“Mein Kampf” and Future Ambitions During his imprisonment, Hitler authored "Mein Kampf," outlining his extremist vision for Germany, including anti-Semitic policies and the pursuit of territorial expansion. This period was crucial in shaping his future strategies for gaining power through legal political channels rather than force (31:20).

The Path to Dictatorship Hitler’s trial and subsequent imprisonment were instrumental in his rise to power. The media exposure and public support he garnered laid the groundwork for the Nazi Party's growth. By 1932, the Nazis became the largest party in parliament, and Hitler was appointed Chancellor, eventually establishing his dictatorship (32:32).

Expert Insights Peter Ross Range highlights that Hitler's ascent was not inevitable, emphasizing the numerous opportunities he squandered and the critical moments that could have derailed his ambitions. His ability to navigate political challenges and exploit public sentiment were key to his eventual control over Germany (33:15).

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Conclusion

"Hitler Stands Trial" offers a comprehensive exploration of Adolf Hitler’s first major power grab and the ensuing trial that propelled him into historical significance. Through a detailed narrative and expert commentary, the episode underscores how pivotal moments and strategic maneuvers facilitated Hitler’s rise from a failed coup leader to a dominant political force, ultimately leading to his dictatorship and profound impact on world history.

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Notable Quotes:

• Peter Ross Range on Hitler’s Realization of Oratory Skills (08:31):

  "Hitler kind of claims that that was the moment that he realized, 'I could speak.'"

• Hitler’s Declaration During the Putsch (09:39):

  "We must take Berlin, just like Mussolini took Rome."

• Hitler’s Autobiographical Statement (28:07):

  "I went to Vienna as a world citizen, open-minded world citizen, and I left as a convinced anti-Semite."

• Judge’s Verdict Reaction (30:45):

  "Five years with the possibility of parole in six months."

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Resources Mentioned:

• Books:
  • Becoming Hitler by Thomas Weber
  • 1924: The Year that Made Hitler by Peter Ross Range
  • The Trial of Adolf Hitler by David King

Production Credits:

• Produced by: Julie McGruder
• Sound Designed by: Bill Moss
• Story Edited by: Jennifer Goran
• Additional Producers: Ben Dickstein, Julia Press, Sally Helm
• Researcher: Emma Fredericks
• Executive Producers: McKamey, Lynn, and Jesse Katz

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For more insightful historical analyses, subscribe to HISTORY This Week wherever you listen to podcasts.

Transcript

[Sally Helm]

Hello History this Week listeners. It is Sally here. We cover stories from all around the world on this show and today's episode is sponsored by the Language Learning program Rosetta Stone. Our producer Ben is here to tell you all about them.

[Ben Dickstein]

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[Unknown]

Channel original podcast.

[Sally Helm]

History this week, February 26, 1924 I'm Sally Helm. As they enter the courtroom in Munich, the audience has to submit to a search to make sure they're not smuggling in any weapons. A reporter writes the next day, their hair, hats, purses, muffs and even stockings were inspected for daggers, hand grenades and bombs, and also for hat pins, exceeding the limit allowed by the authorities. Those authorities are not taking any chances. The defendants in this trial are charged with an attempted coup in German, a putsch. They tried to overthrow the government of the Weimar Republic and almost succeeded. There have been rumors that their supporters might try to storm the courtro free the defendants and finish what they started. When the audience finally makes it through security, they enter a big drafty room. It wasn't designed as a courtroom. This building had been a school for soldiers and this room was their dining hall. The school was shut down recently because the majority of the cadets had supported the attempted coup, marched against the government alongside the defendants, who now enter this former dining hall to face a charge of high treason. The first defendant is a general in civilian clothes, a blue suit. The second follows a few steps behind, carrying a briefcase. He isn't an imposing figure. One observer writes that he looked quite for all the world like a traveling salesman for a clothing firm. When the judge enters a few minutes later and reads this man's name into the record, he identifies him as a Munich writer named Adolf Hitler. Today, Hitler's first attempt to seize power. How did his 1923 coup fail? And why would Hitler later say that this failure was perhaps the greatest good fortune of my life? Adolf Hitler will stage his 1923 coup in the city of Munich. He'd moved there in 1913 from Austria as a broke artist selling postcards for money. He left home because he was dodging the Austrian draft and also he'd come to hate the multicultural, multilingual Austrian Empire. He adopted the city of Munich as his true home when World War I breaks out in 1914. Soon after his big move, the 25 year old Hitler is suddenly eager to enlist.

[Peter Ross Range]

He loves the idea of getting into the German army. He wanted to be fully German, and this was one more chance to prove what a German he was.

[Sally Helm]

That's longtime journalist Peter Ross Range, author of several books on Hitler. He told us the young Hitler fights in the Bavarian army. Munich is the state capital of Bavaria, and In October of 1918, a mustard gas attack leaves him temporarily blind. He's in the hospital recovering, when he hears the news of Germany's surrender.

[Peter Ross Range]

He was devastated, according to his own account, by the news. You know, after four years all was.

[Sally Helm]

Lost and soon all was chaos in Germany. The economy, tanks, Inflation skyrockets. People can't trust that money will have value tomorrow.

[Peter Ross Range]

Sometimes people would prefer to barter food for things. For instance, two eggs for very expensive opera tickets.

[Sally Helm]

Then food itself becomes scarce.

[Peter Ross Range]

There was starvation, there were hunger riots.

[Sally Helm]

In the midst of it all, Germany establishes its first democracy, the Weimar Republic. But that only creates more political instability. People resent the government in the capital city of Berlin. They're mad that Germany lost the war and had to pay punishing reparations. And all this tension is especially evident in Bavaria. It had always been a conservative state.

[Peter Ross Range]

And now Bavaria became a kind of a safe haven for right wing forces. And they continued to gather there where a very nationalistic mood was developing.

[Sally Helm]

It was German nationalism that had driven Adolf Hitler into the army. And now, even though the war is over, the army is where he wants to stay.

[Peter Ross Range]

And why did he want to do that? Because he had no other place to sleep or eat. Being a soldier was the only real job that Hitler had ever had.

[Sally Helm]

He's assigned a job as an army educator and informant. He's supposed to teach soldiers the principles of nationalism and sniff out any Marxist sympathizers in the ranks. Hitler also begins crystallizing his own political views at the time influenced by the right wing politics in Munich and by anti communist and anti Semitic periodicals and books.

[Peter Ross Range]

And so he thought he had figured out why communism was bad, why why mixing races was bad. And he regarded Jews as a separate race from Germans and even the French for that matter, and had developed very strong ideas about these things, not very sophisticated, but he could declaim on them.

[Sally Helm]

He gets the chance to do that in his role as an army educator. He lectures to a group of soldiers and it's at this point that he discovers his greatest skill.

[Peter Ross Range]

Hitler kind of claims that that was the moment that he realized, quote, I could speak.

[Sally Helm]

He'd never been a great soldier, but he turns out to be a powerful orator. His students give him high marks. One writes in his course review, Herr Hitler is, if I may say so, a born popular speaker. That skill will come to define the next months and years of Hitler's life. Soon after he gives those lectures, In September of 1919, something happens to set him on a new path.

[Peter Ross Range]

It was the turning point in him going into politics. And you know, it was a critical moment in history for all of us.

[Sally Helm]

It happens at a shabby looking pub in Munich. Hitler has been sent there as an army spy. He's supposed to observe a small meeting held by a fledgling right wing political group called the German Workers Party. And near the end of the meeting, one of the members spread starts making a speech about how Bavaria should separate from Germany. According to his telling, Hitler springs into action.

[Peter Ross Range]

Hitler stands up and makes the opposite argument. He said not only should Bavaria stay with Germany and Prussia, but also annex Austria. Austria should be part of Greater Germany. Hitler was a great believer in Greater Germany. And in his own telling, he talked this guy into the floor and sort of chased him out of the meeting, quote, like a wet poodle, unquote. So this was the alleged moment of birth of Hitler's political career.

[Sally Helm]

Hitler surely manipulates this story over the years as he hones his own political mythology. But most historians agree on what happens next.

[Peter Ross Range]

The head of the party said, hey, that guy can talk, and sent him a postcard a few days later inviting him to join the party, which he did.

[Sally Helm]

Within just a few months, the party realizes his strength. He's drawing large crowds, riling them up with his speeches. He'd start slow and simple, which had.

[Peter Ross Range]

The effect generally of quieting the crowd down. And his speaking style then would rise to a crescendo, and he would become very physical and waving his arms and shaping his words with his hands. And this was something that folks were not necessarily used to in a political speaker.

[Sally Helm]

Hitler would hammer on topics that, for a growing number of Munichers, hit home.

[Peter Ross Range]

German nationalism, national greatness, the inflation problem, the horrible guys in Berlin who were running the country into the ground, the.

[Sally Helm]

Guys who many Germans blamed for their loss. And in World War I, this appealed in particular to working class Germans, especially those who had been soldiers.

[Peter Ross Range]

And they felt that Hitler was a person who could get the country back on the right track and who was promoting their point of view.

[Sally Helm]

In his speeches, Hitler finds a scapegoat. He singles out Jewish people as a, quote, virus infecting the country. At the time, antisemitism was not uncommon in Germany.

[Peter Ross Range]

But Hitler's way of thinking was much sharper, much more aggressive, encouraging violence among the members and turning it into what we came to know as the Nazi Party.

[Sally Helm]

It wasn't just Munich's working classes who loved Hitler's speeches. He also made friends among the Munich elite. One of them helped him start a newspaper that would become a major propaganda outlet for the Nazis. And in the summer of 1921, Hitler declares himself the sole leader of his party. Over the next two years, the Nazi presence in Munich continues to grow. Membership skyrockets from 20,000 to 55,000 in 1923 alone. But in the larger world of German politics.

[Peter Ross Range]

The Nazis were just a blip. Communists alone had 300,000 members in Germany and the Social Democrats had 2 million.

[Sally Helm]

Hitler is undeterred. In fact, in 1923, he decides it is time for the Nazi party and him to seize control of Munich and then of the German capital, Berlin. The year before, Mussolini had staged his famous march on Rome and taken over the Italian government. This galvanizes Hitler.

[Peter Ross Range]

He wanted to take over the government of Bavaria, the state government, and then very shortly thereafter, stage quote, a march on Berlin, just like Mussolini's march on Rome.

[Sally Helm]

He's planning a coup in German, a putsch. And In November of 1923, he sees his moment. German society is still in turmoil, inflation has continued to soar, and the general State Commissioner of Bavaria announces that he is going to hold a meeting at a big, big beer hall in Munich. He's a conservative politician named Gustav von Kahr, and with him at the meeting will be two other powerful General Otto von Losso, who controls the German military in Bavaria, and Colonel Hans Ritter von Seisser, head of the Bavarian State Police. If Hitler wants to take over Berlin, he'll need their support. Luckily for him, they all hate the Weimar Republic and have talked about overthrowing it themselves. Unluckily for him, they considered him a.

[Peter Ross Range]

Crazy extremist and they want nothing to.

[Sally Helm]

Do with Hitler's putsch. But he is persistent. He decides he's just going to show up at the beer hall gathering, see if he can persuade the three men to view things his way with the help of a few hundred of his armed supporters.

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[Sally Helm]

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[Peter Ross Range]

Hitler is dressed, some people say he was dressed like a waiter. And nobody pays hardly any attention to him at all.

[Sally Helm]

Finally, a little late, Gustav Karr gets up to begin his speech. Not long after, Hitler bursts through the doors. He elbows his way through the crowd towards the podium.

[Peter Ross Range]

Hitler shouts for the crowd to quiet down and absolutely nothing happens. Nobody pays a bit of attention to it. So. So he jumps on a chair and he pulls out his pistol and fires it into the ceiling. And that quiets everybody down. And that's when he makes his fateful announcement that the national revolution has begun.

[Sally Helm]

It has begun in his mind with this beer hall putsch. He has tried to take a crowd of 3,000 people hostage, but they're not having it. No one knows who he is really, and he seems insane.

[Peter Ross Range]

And so he is rejected out of hand by most of the people in the room.

[Sally Helm]

They jeer at him, call him names. Hitler again calls for silence. He warns the crowd. The hall is surrounded by 600 heavily.

[Peter Ross Range]

Armed men, which is a wild exaggeration, we believe. But the folks in the beer hall didn't know that. And at this moment, the head of Hitler's small stormtrooper brigade drags a heavy machine gun into the entrance of the beer hall, which does indeed indicate that they mean business. And everybody freezes.

[Sally Helm]

By this point, Hitler is riled up.

[Peter Ross Range]

He looks like a guy who may be a little bit crazy, who may be foaming at the mouth.

[Sally Helm]

He takes Carr, Loso and Seisser into a side room guarded by armed men. There he tries to convince them to join his revolution. He promises them high positions in his new government. He says they'll be serving a great nationalistic cause.

[Peter Ross Range]

And he gets carried away with this at one point and lets them know that he has more bullets in his pistol. And if worse comes to worse, he will shoot them and maybe even shoot himself. This was the first time in this interesting event when Hitler talks about shooting himself. It's not the last time.

[Sally Helm]

But despite these threats, the three leaders aren't buying it. Hitler's starting to get antsy. He's anxiously awaiting the arrival of a secret weapon. But the guy is late. So Hitler decides to do what he does best, stir up the crowd.

[Peter Ross Range]

He knows he doesn't have the crowd on his side yet, so Hitler goes out and begins making a speech, basically preaching his nationalistic message. One eyewitness says it was like turning a glove inside out. I don't know about loving him, but they certainly came to support him very strongly.

[Sally Helm]

It's exactly what he'd hoped for. The same people who had essentially booed Hitler are now cheering him on. Hitler walks back into the room where the three men are being held.

[Peter Ross Range]

Now Hitler's able to say to them, you're not just with me, you're with this crowd. You're with the people.

[Sally Helm]

And then, like clockwork, his secret weapon finally arrives in the form of a famed German general, Erich Ludendorff. Ludendorff was a World War I hero, a tall old school officer.

[Peter Ross Range]

When he walked into the beer hall that night, people started standing ramrod straight and saying, attention. And acting as though he were the commander of the German armed forces, which he was not. But that's how revered he was in Germany at that time.

[Sally Helm]

Ludendorff enters the side room and addresses these three captive leaders. He urges them to join the cause. He zeroes in on one in particular.

[Peter Ross Range]

He turned to Loso, who was a general like him, and said, loso, let's do it.

[Sally Helm]

Loso is now facing his superior.

[Peter Ross Range]

He said, what a good German officer is supposed to say to a superior officer. Your Excellency's wish is my command. And they shook hands.

[Sally Helm]

The other men protest for a little while, then finally relent. And Hitler leads them all back into the beer hall.

[Peter Ross Range]

And he stages this moment of sentimental togetherness in which he goes and shakes each man's hand individually with almost tears in his eyes. And then they all sing together. 3,000 people what amounts to the national anthem, which is called the Song of Germany and has that famous opening line, Deutschland, Deutschland uber alles.

[Sally Helm]

Then Hitler lets the crowd go, though they're questioned at the door and some who seem disloyal are detained. The three leaders, Carr, Losso and Seisser he keeps at the beer hall. Meanwhile, Hitler's men are out in Munich, attempting to take over barracks and police stations, declaring the new government, and destroying Jewish stores and homes along the way. Everything seems to be going as they'd planned until early in the morning when Hitler makes a big mistake. He leaves the beer hall to check how things are going with his putsch around Munich, and he puts Ludendorff in charge of the three men. They gradually ingratiate themselves with the general and say, hey, couldn't you let us go?

[Peter Ross Range]

They give him their words of honor as officers, that they are still part of the plot.

[Sally Helm]

Ludendorff believes them.

[Peter Ross Range]

A word of honor in Germany and all of Europe in those days was considered a very serious business.

[Sally Helm]

In this case, though, it proves flimsy. As soon as the three men are free, they publicly refute their alliance with Hitler and call in military backup.

[Peter Ross Range]

And this is where it begins to unravel.

[Sally Helm]

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[Sally Helm]

Hitler comes back to the beer hall to find the men gone. He's furious. Within the next few hours, it becomes clear that his plan is collapsing. But he decides to try one more thing. He calls for a march. He wants to show that he has the public on his side. More than 2,000 people show up, but halfway through their route, they clash with.

[Peter Ross Range]

Bavarian police and total chaos breaks out. Four policemen were killed, but 13 of Hitler's men and one bystander or killed. Hitler himself missed being shot by only two feet. The man next to him, with whom he was linked arm in arm, got a bullet in the chest and died immediately. Hitler fell and got a dislocated shoulder.

[Sally Helm]

He slinks away and jumps into a getaway car. He's driving towards the Austrian border when his car breaks down and he walks to a friend's villa nearby. The friend's wife, Helena, answers the door and hides him in the attic.

[Peter Ross Range]

Within two days, the Bavarian police figured out where Hitler had gone and they went down and surrounded this villa on this lake. Hitler saw the police out there. He reached for his pistol yet again, and according to Helena, he had it up to his head, up to his temple, and was about to kill himself when she walked into the room and snatched it out of his hand and threw it into a flour barrel. Yet another one of those incredible moments when history might have been spared a man named Adolf Hitler had it turned out differently.

[Sally Helm]

Instead, Hitler is taken to prison. He's despondent. He goes on a hunger strike. Outside the prison walls, his power is waning. Importantly, the Nazi party's daily newspaper is banned. But as Hitler's trial approaches, he starts to realize this could be an opportunity.

[Peter Ross Range]

Hitler rightly sees the trial as a grandstand for politics and a way of trying to turn the tables on the established political order which is trying to put him in prison for a very long time.

[Sally Helm]

Hitler is right that this is a chance to grandstand. As the trial approaches, Munichers are watching. On the opening day in late February 1924, every seat in the courtroom is taken and some in the crowd support the Coup. There are 10 defendants, including Ludendorff, who's widely seen as the ringleader. But people have also heard about this other conspiracy.

[Peter Ross Range]

Everybody is kind of waiting to see this guy Hitler, who had done this wild and crazy and dangerous and almost possibly successful thing. So it was a very dramatic scene. People knew that something dramatic was going to happen.

[Sally Helm]

Ludendorff enters the room first, but Adolf Hitler is right behind him.

[Peter Ross Range]

Hitler enters the courtroom, you know, with his eyes darting here and there, described as being like a hungry animal. And all eyes are on him. He's kind of a star.

[Sally Helm]

The judge in this trial is a known right wing sympathizer named George Neithart. He calls things to order and reportedly smiles at the defendants. Then he asks the prosecution to read the indictment. It's around 40 pages long, huge amount of detail.

[Peter Ross Range]

And the charge culminated when the prosecutor, a man named Stenglein, said, for all the other actors and for all the other events, the truth of the matter is Hitler was the soul of the enterprise.

[Sally Helm]

A damning charge, but it also makes Hitler a figure of central importance. And in that way, it's music to his ears. The court breaks for lunch, and then the judge calls Hitler to the stand. It's time for his opening statement.

[Peter Ross Range]

So Hitler's moment has come. The courtroom was full, and he gets up to rebut the charge he makes what by some accounts was a four hour speech.

[Sally Helm]

He starts by talking about his youth in Austria, how at 16 he had to start earning his own bread, which.

[Peter Ross Range]

Is not true, but it made a good story. And he gets away with non stop talk, a flood of words.

[Sally Helm]

He talks about his time as a loyal German soldier. He rails against the communists, the social democratic government, and he doesn't hold back on the racism.

[Peter Ross Range]

Right in the first couple of minutes, Hitler comes right out and says, I went to Vienna as a world citizen, open minded world citizen, and I left as a convinced anti Semite. He just comes right out and says it.

[Sally Helm]

And he uses the opportunity to make a case for himself as the leader Germany needs.

[Peter Ross Range]

Hitler paints the picture of himself as a guy with nothing but Germany, his purest and best interests at heart. From a nationalistic point of view, to prevent Germany's downfall, which he constantly harps on.

[Sally Helm]

He also manages to turn the tables on the three men who he feels betrayed. Commissioner Carr, General Loso and Colonel Sicer.

[Peter Ross Range]

He successfully raises a number of questions about whether or not they were intending to do exactly the same thing and that he simply got one step ahead of them.

[Sally Helm]

He claims they would have done it anyway. The marathon speech turns the courtroom into a theater. People are clapping and laughing on cue. One reporter calls it a dazzling performance. Hitler is using the same tricks that have galvanized working class Munichers for years. But now his audience is the world.

[Peter Ross Range]

It made a very big first impression and it got the headlines to go with it, which is exactly what he wanted.

[Sally Helm]

From then on, the trial turns into something of an Adolf Hitler showcase. He even gets the chance to question some of the prosecution's witnesses, which was legal, though not standard practice. When he questions General Oso, things get heated. They call each other names. The judge tries to calm things down, but no dice.

[Peter Ross Range]

And finally Hitler says the only one here who has broken his word of honor is the lieutenant general himself. And accusing a general of the army of having broken his word of honor was the kind of thing that used to lead to duels or worse.

[Sally Helm]

Hitler does apologize, but Lloso walks out.

[Peter Ross Range]

And declares that he is not coming back. So it can also once again, again be said Hitler got the upper hand.

[Sally Helm]

The trial lasts 24 days. On the day the judge announces his.

[Peter Ross Range]

Verdict, everybody wants to be in the court. The court is overcrowded. A lot of women have brought flowers and gifts. The judge comes in and Hitler is indeed convicted of treason. But the judge gives him the lightest possible sentence under the law.

[Sally Helm]

Five Years with the possibility of parole in six months.

[Peter Ross Range]

Both those things are sort of unheard of. He could have gotten life. This was high treason he was convicted of. So he got a wrist slap sentence.

[Sally Helm]

When the crowd in the courtroom hears the verdict, everybody cheers.

[Peter Ross Range]

Hillary is a hero.

[Sally Helm]

There are also cheers outside the courtroom.

[Peter Ross Range]

It's still freezing cold, but he finds a window that can be opened and he opens it and waves to the crash. He had the Munichers on his side by this time, if there were any doubters. It's a preview of what we're going.

[Sally Helm]

To see eight years later when Hitler assumes power. It wasn't the beer hall putsch that allowed him to do that, but the trial is a springboard for Hitler, just as he'd hoped it would be. He goes from an obscure right wing extremist in Munich to a household name in Germany. He even makes headlines worldwide.

[Peter Ross Range]

The newspapers went wild immediately. Couldn't print newspapers fast enough.

[Sally Helm]

In prison, he writes his autobiographical manifesto, Mein Kampf and lays out his ultra nationalistic plans for Germany, including the expulsion of Jews from any part of public life. That vision, of course, later becomes even more violent as it shifts from expulsion to extermination. Hitler emerges from prison with a new vision for his future. Instead of seizing power by force, he.

[Peter Ross Range]

Figured out that he had to become a politician and run in elections and have people running in elections just like anybody else.

[Sally Helm]

His political ascent doesn't happen right away, but in the 1932 elections, the Nazis become the largest party in parliament. Not long after, Hitler is appointed chancellor and not long after that, he becomes dictator. Grange says when you look at the years before that, Hitler's rise, you can see it was not inevitable. There were so many times things could have gone a different way, from personal.

[Peter Ross Range]

Scandals to political missteps to party schisms. He came close to going off the rails at least half a dozen times. And each time Hitler seemed to dodge a bullet at the last second.

[Sally Helm]

So he rises to power and we know what happens next. Thanks for listening to history this week. For more moments throughout history that are also worth watching, check your local TV listings to find out what's up on the History Channel today. If you want to get in touch, shoot us an email at our email address historythisweekhistory.com or you can leave us a voicemail. 212-351-0410. We are listening and we love to hear from you. Thank you to Thomas Weber for speaking with us for this episode. He's the author of the book Becoming Hitler. Thanks also to Peter Ross Range who you heard in this episode. He's the author of 1924 the Year that Made Hitler. We also read David King's book the Trial of Adolf Hitler in researching this episode. It is a great resource if you want to learn more about this story. This episode was Produced by Julie McGruder, sound designed by Bill Moss and story edited by Jennifer Goran. History this Week is also produced by Ben Dickstein, Julia Press and me, Sally Helm. Our researcher is Emma Fredericks. Our executive producers are McKamey, Lynn and Jesse Katz. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review History this week wherever you get your podcasts and we will see you next week.