Member-only story
In 1923, Hitler Used His Trial to Win the Hearts of Many Germans
Between November 8th and 9th, 1923, Adolf Hitler (sitting far left in the photo above from his prison digs) and his young party of National Socialists tried to take over the German government. For a few hours, they succeeded in taking over a sliver of the Bavarian government but were eventually crushed.
From the prison in the lovely little town of Landsberg am Lech, Hitler wrote his Mein Kampf saga and prepared himself for trial. In February of 1924, Adolf Hitler took the stand before a packed courtroom. For the next several days, he was permitted to speak in his defense and explain why he did what he did. His words were reported to an economically struggling nation struggling to make payments to cover the reparations demanded of them in the Versailles Treaty. If Hitler was seen as a radical before the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch, millions of Germans viewed him as a savior after his trial.
Trump has no speaking role on Monday, but he is expected to return to the courthouse in lower Manhattan toward the end of the state’s case when court records show he will be called as a witness (Trump Expected to Attend Civil Trial).
