Colonel Hans Ritter von Seisser (German ''Seißer''; 9 December 1874 – 14 April 1973) was the head of the

Bavarian State Police The Bavarian State Police (german: Bayerische Staatliche Polizei) is the state police force of the German state of Bavaria under the umbrella of the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior. It has approximately 33,500 armed officers and roughly 8,500 o ...

in 1923. In September 1923, following a period of turmoil and political violence, Prime Minister

Eugen von Knilling Eugen Ritter von Knilling (1 August 1865 – 20 October 1927 in Munich) ...

declared

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

and appointed Gustav von Kahr, ''Staatskomissar'' (state commissioner), with dictatorial powers. Together with Seisser, and

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' () was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshape ...

General

Otto von Lossow Otto Hermann von Lossow (15 January 1868 – 25 November 1938) was a Bavarian Army and then German Army officer who played a prominent role in the events surrounding the attempted Beer Hall Putsch by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in November 19 ...

, they formed a right-wing

triumvirate A triumvirate ( la, triumvirātus) or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs ( la, triumviri). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are ...

in Bavaria. That year, many nationalist groups wanted to emulate Mussolini's "

March on Rome The March on Rome ( it, Marcia su Roma) was an organized mass demonstration and a coup d'état in October 1922 which resulted in Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party (PNF) ascending to power in the Kingdom of Italy. In late October 1922, ...

" by a "March on Berlin". Among these were the wartime General

Erich Ludendorff Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff (9 April 1865 – 20 December 1937) was a German general, politician and military theorist. He achieved fame during World War I for his central role in the German victories at Liège and Tannenberg in 1914 ...

and also the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

(NSDAP) group, led by

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

. Hitler decided to try to seize power in what was later known as the "Munich Putsch" or Beer Hall Putsch. Hitler and Ludendorff sought the support of the "triumvirate". However, Kahr, Seisser and Lossow had their own plan to install a nationalist dictatorship without Hitler. Hitler was determined to act before the appeal of his agitation waned. So on November 8, 1923, Hitler and the SA stormed a public meeting of 3,000 people which had been organized by Kahr in the Bürgerbräukeller, a large beer hall in Munich. Hitler interrupted Kahr's speech and announced that the national revolution had begun, declaring the formation of a new government with Ludendorff. While waving his gun around, Hitler demanded the support of Kahr, Seisser and Lossow. Hitler's forces initially succeeded at occupying the local Reichswehr and police headquarters; however, neither the army nor the state police joined forces with Hitler. Kahr, Seisser and Lossow were briefly detained but then released. The men quickly withdrew their support and fled to join the opposition to Hitler. The following day, Hitler and his followers marched from the beer hall to the

Bavarian War Ministry The Ministry of War (german: Kriegsministerium) was a ministry for military affairs of the Kingdom of Bavaria, founded as ''Ministerium des Kriegswesens'' on October 1, 1808 by King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. It was located on the Ludwigstraß ...

to overthrow the Bavarian government on their "March on Berlin", but the police dispersed them. Sixteen NSDAP members and four police officers were killed in the failed coup. Seisser went into retirement in 1930. From 1933, he was a prisoner in Dachau concentration camp. He was released in 1945 when American forces captured the camp, and returned to retirement. He died in 1973 at the age of 98.

References

Notes Bibliography * * *Vincent, C. Paul (1997). ''Historical Dictionary of Germany's Weimar Republic, 1918-1933'', Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, p. 443. 1874 births 1973 deaths Politicians from Würzburg Opposers who participated in the Beer Hall Putsch German police chiefs People from the Kingdom of Bavaria Military personnel of Bavaria Knights of the Military Order of Max Joseph German anti-communists {{Germany-bio-stub