He became an exponent of the Stab-in-the-back myth and a vehement critic of the Treaty of Versailles. In 1919 he was elected to the Reichstag as a monarchist. Putsch "We will not govern according to any theory", Wolfgang Kapp, 13 March 1920 In March 1920 Hermann Ehrhardt, the leader of the Freikorps known as the Ehrhardt Brigade, was authorized by General Walther von Lüttwitz (Commander of Reichswehr Command Group I) to proceed and use the Marine Brigade to take Berlin from the Weimar Government. The Weimar government fled to Dresden and then on to Stuttgart in order to avoid arrest by rebel Reichswehr troops. Though proclaiming a new government and state administration, Kapp along with Lüttwitz failed to calculate the lack of support for such a coup. The majority of the old establishment, civil service, labour unions and general population did not side with the putschists and as a result the newly proclaimed state lasted for a mere two days before a General Strike was called by the SPD. The Reichswehr, under the command of Hans von Seeckt, failed to uphold their constitutional commitment as von Seeckt refused to defend the Republican government against the rebellious Freikorps units. The Weimar regime was saved by the public by means of the strike, but there were also other factors behind the failure of the coup. These include the lack of outward and active support from the military elite, judiciary and civil service who were reluctant to commit to the Putsch from its beginning. When the coup d'état failed Kapp fled to Sweden. After two years in exile, he returned to Germany in April 1922 to justify himself in a trial at the Reichsgericht. He died in custody in Leipzig shortly afterwards of cancer. References External links 1858 births 1922 deaths Politicians from New York City American people of German descent German Protestants German Fatherland Party politicians German National People's Party politicians Members of the 13th Reichstag of the German Empire Prussian politicians University of Göttingen alumni University of Tübingen alumni Kapp Putsch participants German exiles German expatriates in Sweden German people who died in prison custody Prisoners who died in German detention Deaths from cancer in Germany German monarchists Political party founders