Weimar Republic Red Ruhr Army. It was supported by parts of the Reichswehr , as well as nationalist and monarchist factions. Although the legitimate German government was forced to flee the city, the coup failed after a few days, when large sections of the German population joined a general strike called by the government. Most civil servants refused to cooperate with Kapp and his allies.
Despite its failure, the Putsch had significant consequences for the future of the Weimar Republic. It was also one of the direct causes of the Ruhr uprising a few weeks later, which the government suppressed by military force, after having dealt leniently with leaders of the Putsch. These events polarized the German electorate, resulting in a shift in the majority after the June Reichstag elections.
The German Empire was abolished and a democratic system, the Weimar Republic , was established in by the Weimar National Assembly. Right-wing nationalist and militarist circles opposed the new republic and promoted the stab-in-the-back myth , claiming that the war had been lost only because the efforts of the undefeated German military had been undermined by civilians at home. According to the constitution, the president was the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, represented in peace time by the Minister of Defence.
The most senior officer of the land forces was called Chef der Heeresleitung , a post held in early by General Walther Reinhardt. Chancellor Bauer was obliged to sign the Treaty of Versailles in , even though he disagreed with it.
The treaty had been dictated by the victorious Allies of World War I ; it forced Germany to assume responsibility for the war, reduced the area of Germany and imposed huge reparation payments and military restrictions on the nation. The German government had repeatedly used Freikorps troops to put down Communist uprisings after the war. Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which came into effect on 10 January , Germany was required to reduce its land forces to a maximum of , men, who were to be only professional soldiers, not conscripts.
