Two days had passed since the Putsch that brought the DNVP and the military into power. The Weimar government in Hamburg had called for a nation-wide strike, and it was historic [97/100]. The workers of Germany had spoken, as the entire country was paralyzed. Millions upon millions throughout the country did not go to work as they spoke out against the anti-democratic and authoritarian coup that had occurred in Berlin against the ruling coalition that they had elected. The putschists had underestimated the influence and popularity their opponents in the SPD, DDP, and USPD had amongst the German people. Almost all services had stopped working most major cities including Berlin itself, as messages amongst the putschists had to be sent by courier as electricity was off and food and water had to be rationed. While the Putsch had much support amongst the military establishment and the aristocracy, the vast majority knew better than to simply come out in favor at this point in time. As they stayed silent, and rumors of dissent spread through the ranks of the Reichswehr in Berlin, the putschists slowly came to realize their mistake. This was especially true for the DNVP, the major political party that had thrown its support behind the attempt. It started to fall apart when they disavowed the new government, claiming they had been lied to by Walther and the mutinous portions of the Reichswehr. Their attempts mostly fall on deaf ears, the people of Germany having seen the treasonous and anti-democratic reality of the DNVP.

As the DNVP withdrew their support and the upper bureaucracy now empty, as well as the rank and file already on strike and with the army nearing mutiny themselves, the putsch completely fell apart. The officers of the Reichswehr under Walther caught him in his office, holding him at gunpoint [1/20] while Kapp, the mastermind behind the DNVP supporting the putsch, attempted to flee the city. He attempted to hide in a car driven by his private driver but was caught by a group of strikers [11/20]. Hans von Seeckt, previously handling the pro-Weimar portion of the Reichswehr and de-facto middleman between the governments, invited the Weimar government to return to Berlin. The Marinebrigade Loewenfeld and Marinebrigade Ehrhardt were disbanded, their leaders thrown in jail. Walther and Kapp were also thrown in jail for life for treason and conspiring to overthrow the government. The DNVP was banned for ten years for supporting treason, removed from the Reichstag. Other members of the military and bureaucracy that supported the Putsch resigned from their positions, such as Adolf von Trotha. The ruling coalition then promised new elections next month and negotiations between the Weimar government and the large unions were to begin to discuss the ending of the strikes as conflicts arose throughout Germany between the strikers and conservative military groups. Sometimes this lead to violence and shots being fired, and the unions appeared unwilling to end the strikes unless concessions were made. This appeared worst in the Ruhr, where members of the KPD appeared to be covertly supporting the workers and the local military seemed completely unprepared to deal with the size of such an uprising [91/100].