Hitler's Imprisonment in Landsberg 1924 by Harry Hughes

On the 8th of November 1923, Hitler would lead his Nazi Army with a march through Munich in an attempt to seize it. Ultimately, the uprising failed with Hitler’s close ally Scheuber Richter being killed by the Reichswehr and Hitler injured in the crossfire. Shortly after, Hitler attempted to escape but was found in a friend’s house 35 miles away from Munich in Uffing, with Hitler’s initial plan being to escape to Austria. However, despite not achieving its aims, Hitler’s march on The Beer Hall Putsch in Munich is one of the biggest factors for Hitler in his fight to gain government control. It should have been his fall, but instead it strengthened his position and popularity in gaining recognition in future uprisings. Once arrested, he was sent to the now famous Landsberg Prison. Here he would be made Prisoner 45 and placed into Cell 5. Throughout the period leading up to his trial he grew more infuriated, refusing to speak to interrogators and he would go on hunger strikes as a stand against his arrest. It was clear that he wasn’t just making a stand outside of prison but also within it. Hitler’s public position however was clear. He was to defend himself and by doing this, Hitler was able to establish a clear narrative for his political position and use the media as a platform. The media attention which Hitler received from his uprising was strongly beneficial for the development of the Nazi Party. Press releases were wide across Germany of the story, with it often being the headline. His trial which was held in Munich in front of the ‘so called’ People’s Court had 5 judges and no appeal. Nobody would have thought to weaken Hitler’s trial position. However, Hitler’s Judge was the Right-Wing Georg Neihardt. Throughout Hitler’s appeal he allowed him to have a vast introduction, approximately 4 hours. What was extremely lenient within the trial was the decision to only let the Judge make the decisions, not the prosecutors. Eventually the Judge concluded that Hitler was to be given 5 years in prison.

Hitler lived a much more comfortable and cooperative time in Prison. He held access to a Prison Garden and courtyard, which he used freely and was able to walk with a distant Prison officer. ‘The Hitler Path’ was a term given to a walk that Hitler repeated regularly in his time at Landsberg. His consumption of Food and Drink was also very flexible, with Hitler being able to enjoy meals from a wide selection alongside a variety of drinks with beer being an orderable option to Hitler’s request. One of the great dangers of Landberg Prison for Hitler was his access to the library, this allowed Hitler to indulge further into his political ideology and benefited largely to his own personal writing. Hitler’s writing in Prison is the greatest source of interest of most Historians as it shows both his theoretical approach to Politics but also his determination for the success of the Nazi Party. The Nationalist ideas which were widespread amongst Landberg Prison allowed Hitler to write his infamous Mein Kampf, putting a stamp on the idea of National Socialism. Mein Kampf would act as a solidification of his goals for Germany, and in Landsberg Hitler was given an extensive amount of time to build his approach to Anti-Semitism but also is ethnic hatred of other populations (I.e. Gypsies and Russians). What is largely significant regarding his exposure to Nationalist views in prison is that Hitler likely became more extreme and agitated as he grew disillusioned and isolated from German society.

By the 200-day mark, Hitler had kept his behaviour relaxed and his emotions confined, He gained growing comfort around his new lifestyle in prison. He knew that his release was likely to come and contacted a car dealer to request a discount on a model of Mercedes Benz. Landberg at this point had turned into more of a home for Hitler than a prison. On day 264, Hitler was released as a reward of good behaviour serving 264 days of a 5-year sentence. All that was left now was for his political position to grow and his party become more legitimised in Germany. The significance of Landberg is simply extraordinary, it allowed Hitler to contemplate his thoughts on the future of Germany but also to prepare to globalise his politics. All that was left now was for Germany to creep into the hands of Nazism and for Hitler to release his disgusting, radical hatred at a level never seen before.