Hitler trial for treason

I would defend myself before this court and fight to my last breath. Thus I have come into this room, not in order to explain things away, or lie about my responsibility; no indeed! In fact, I protest that Oberstleutnant Kriebel has declared that he bears responsibility for what happened. Indeed, he had no responsibility for it at all.

I alone bear the responsibility. I alone, when all is said and done, wanted to carry out the deed. The other gentlemen on trial here only negotiated with me at the end. I am convinced that I sought nothing bad. I bear the responsibility, and I will shoulder all the consequences. But one thing I must say: I am not a crook, and I do not feel like a criminal. You may declare us guilty a thousand times, but the Goddess who presides over the Eternal Court of History will with a smile tear in pieces the charge of the Public Prosecutor and the judgment of the Court: for she declares us guiltless.

Possible sentence — life. The three judges in the trial had become so sympathetic that the presiding judge had to persuade them to find him guilty at all. They agreed to find Hitler guilty only after being assured he would get early parole. Other Nazi leaders arrested after the failed Putsch got light sentences as well. General Ludendorff was acquitted. On April 1, , Hitler was taken to the old fortress at Landsberg and given a spacious private cell with a fine view.

He received gifts, was allowed visitors whenever he liked and had his own private secretary, Rudolph Hess. The Nazi Party after the Putsch became fragmented and disorganized, but Hitler had gained national influence by taking advantage of the press to make his ideas known. Now, although behind bars, Hitler was not about to stop communicating. Pacing back and forth in his cell, he continued expressing his ideas, while Hess took down every word.

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Hitler and the Nazis stepped into this breach with often-racist demagoguery that attracted a significant following throughout the nation. The failed coup turned out to be quite a boon for Adolf Hitler. His trial brought him more attention and publicity than ever before. With a crowd of thousands-including press from around the world-watching the proceedings, Hitler made the most of this opportunity by going on the offensive.

The conservative-leaning judges did nothing to stop Hitler or keep the focus on the attempted coup. It soon became evident that Hitler was winning the public relations battle by using the day trial as a showcase for his extreme right-wing views, even if he was technically losing the case.

After his conviction, Hitler spent the remainder of the year in prison writing the first volume of Mein Kampf. By the time he was released, he had become more popular than ever, and within eight years he had taken over Germany.

In fact, the historian claims that not a single anti-Semitic comment from Hitler can be traced back to his Vienna days. Moreover, his closest friend at the time was a Jewish copper polisher named Josef Neumann, while his art dealer, Samuel Morgenstern, was Jewish too. So if there was no prominent anti-Semitic sentiment coming from Hitler during this period, why then did he insist that his anti-Semitism manifested so intensely in Vienna? And so Hitler did his utmost during the trial of to distance himself from a narrative that might have seen him openly rubbing shoulders with socialists, Marxists, or Jews.

King says he was surprised to find out that no book length account of the trial has ever appeared in English, especially given the wealth of archival material available on it.

This included court documents, pretrial investigations, police files, the trial transcript, and the papers of lawyers for both the defense and the prosecution. It was subsequently reestablished in July The name of the institution was derived from the fact that the court operated as a tribunal of five judges: two professionals and three laymen.

The closing statements of the prosecution team, led by Ludwig Stenglein, ensured that justice would never be served accordingly, says King. One of the most notable concerns of the trial at the time was the fact that the Austrian-born Hitler was not a German citizen. King believes the 20th century might have turned out very differently had the trial of Adolf Hitler in gone in another direction. If so, please support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.