The Kapp Putsch in East Prussia: political consequences
- DOI
- 10.5922/vestnikhum-2024-3-6
- Pages
- 70-80
Abstract
Based on archival documents, materials from regional and national German press, and personal sources, the article examines the reactions in East Prussia to the Kapp Putsch of 1920, which aimed to overthrow the legitimate government of the Weimar Republic. Unlike most other German territories, the putschists in East Prussia were supported by many representatives of the regional political elite and bureaucracy. The article attempts to explain the reasons for this anomaly and to identify the consequences of the support for the putsch by part of the local political actors on the further development of the province. The article concludes that the putsch had a significant impact on East Prussia, serving as a manifestation of the growing conflict between the regional elite and the central authorities in Berlin. The defeat of the putschists and the changes in the composition of the East Prussian bureaucracy made by the republican government marked the beginning of a new phase in the relations between the state capital and the East Prussian province.