"The Bürgerbräukeller, November 8, 1923: prominent Bavarian leaders, including Hitler, are gathered for a political speech; surrounded by storm troopers, they are forced to swear a loyalty oath; Hitler is later arrested and tried; the 'revolution' fails -- the rudimentary facts of the Beer Hall Putsch are well known. The myth and conjecture they have generated are now replaced by detailed evidence in Harold Gordon's history, a thorough analysis of the events leading up to the Putsch, the ideologies and people struggling for power in Bavaria in 1923, the Putsch itself, and its aftermath. What was the Patriotic Movement, in which the National Socialists were originally only a faction, and why did it develop? How did Hitler and his Party, minor figures among a welter of similar men and organizations, rise to dominate Germany? Why was Bavaria a less fertile field than the rest of Germany for the National Socialists in the later years of the Weimar Republic? Assessing these questions in a rigorous study of the primary literature, Mr. Gordon has written, in essence, a case study of the roots of power, of the significance of individuals and issues in its development, transfer, use, and abuse."--Jacket.