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Summary

In March 1920, German citizens, led by trade unions, used a general strike and noncooperation to defeat a right-wing military coup attempt in Berlin. The Kapp Putsch collapsed after four days when the strike paralyzed the economy and civil servants refused to obey the usurpers. The constitutional government of Friedrich Ebert was restored.

Background

In March 1920, military and political figures led by General Walther von Lüttwitz and Wolfgang Kapp attempted a coup to avoid implementing the Treaty of Versailles and to replace the democratic republic with a rightist regime. The conspirators marched on Berlin on March 12, and President Friedrich Ebert’s government fled to avoid arrest. The goal of the campaign was to preserve the constitutional democratic government and end the coup.

What happened

On March 13, 1920, Kappist troops entered Berlin and began taking over government offices, but faced immediate noncooperation from civil servants who stalled, refused to obey orders, and could not be found to carry out tasks. [source: nv-database] The Putschists struggled to find people willing to accept cabinet positions and to publish their proclamations because press workers were unwilling to cooperate. [source: nv-database] On March 14, President Ebert and the Social-Democratic Party called for a general strike, and the Free Trade Unions organized a nationwide work stoppage that paralyzed all economic life except waterworks and hospitals. [source: nv-database] Workers in Berlin spontaneously ceased work even before the official call, and by Sunday the strike was universal across Germany, shutting down trams, buses, subways, gas, electricity, and water supplies. [source: nv-database] The telegraph clerks refused to transmit Kappist messages, and banks refused to release funds to the coup regime. [source: nv-database] On March 15, soldiers fired on a crowd picketing the Reich Chancellery, killing and wounding several protesters, but the strike continued to spread. [source: nv-database] The industrial Ruhr region was completely paralyzed. [source: nv-database] On March 16, a government plane dropped leaflets announcing the collapse of the dictatorship, and Great Britain notified Berlin it would not recognize the Kapp Government. [source: nv-database] That night, a Berlin battalion mutinied and declared allegiance to the constitutional government. [source: nv-database] On March 17, the Berlin Security Police reversed its stand and demanded Kapp’s resignation. [source: nv-database] Kapp drafted his resignation in the early afternoon, and the Putsch officially ended at six o’clock that evening, less than five days after it began. [source: nv-database] Confused fighting continued for some days between armed workers and soldiers, but the Ebert regime’s authority was soon restored throughout the country. [source: nv-database]

Key people & organizations

  • Friedrich Ebert
  • Walther von Lüttwitz
  • Wolfgang Kapp
  • General Hans von Seeckt
  • General German Trade Union Association (ADGB)
  • Cooperative Union of Free Employees’ Federations
  • Federation of Civil Service Employees
  • Hirsch – Duncker trade unions
  • Social-Democratic Party

Tactics used

The general strike paralyzed the economy and made governance impossible for the Putschists, while noncooperation by civil servants, banks, and telegraph clerks denied the coup regime the administrative and financial resources needed to function. These methods combined to isolate the Putsch leaders and force their capitulation without large-scale violence. [source: nv-database]

Outcome

Verdict: won.

The campaign achieved its specific goal of ending the coup and restoring the constitutional government, scoring 6 out of 6 points for success in demands. The organizing groups survived the putsch, and the campaign grew to encompass most regions of Germany and a huge proportion of the population, including previously neutral or putsch-allied troops and police forces. However, the general strike continued after March 17 as some groups sought further concessions, and not all economic demands were resolved. [source: nv-database]

Lessons

  • A general strike can be highly effective against a coup when it has broad democratic legitimacy and near-full employment ensures strikers do not fear losing their jobs.
  • Noncooperation by civil servants and administrative bodies can cripple a usurping regime by denying it the capacity to govern.
  • Unity across political and social divides strengthens resistance and makes it harder for the opponent to divide the opposition.

Sources

Disclaimer: Included as a teaching example of campaign craft, not as endorsement.

Sources & verification

  • nv-database — grounding: primary — license: link-only
  • Rewritten: 2026-06-25 via worker_casestudies_v2.py

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