Exactly one-hundred years ago, on November 8, 1923, Adolf Hitler tried to come to power in Munich through an insurrection. His coup, which started in a beer hall, failed and he was arrested. He received a lenient punishment, was released from prison after less than one year, rebuilt his Nazi party, and became dictator of Germany ten years later. This lecture will focus on the rise of political extremism and antisemitism in Munich after World War One and asks why a convicted insurrectionist was allowed to return and to destroy the fledgling German democracy.