Storm on Berlin

In March 1920, the young Weimar Republic faced one of its biggest challenges. Following the end of the First World War and the entry into force of the Treaty of Versailles, parts of the military refused to disband. The Freikorps Marinebrigade Ehrhardt marches on Berlin to overthrow the democratically elected government. The so-called Kapp Putsch forces members of the Reichstag to flee — but a nationwide general strike thwarts the coup d'état. Around 100 years later, in August 2021, a member of the Bundestag is leading former elite soldiers through the Reichstag. Did this group want to violently storm Parliament? Since 2024, 25 defendants of the so-called Reuss Group have been on trial at three locations — including ex-soldiers, a former member of parliament and judge, a nobleman and an ex-policeman. The documentary theatre evening explores what happens when the state is attacked from within, parliament, judiciary, military and police: a play about right-wing extremism, conspiracy narratives and the fragility of democracy.

Director Marie Schwesinger works at the interface of documentary theatre and journalism. Since 2021, she has been researching right-wing extremism and has accompanied numerous processes as a process observer. “Storm on Berlin” is based on over 1200 pages of minutes written by Schwesinger during the ongoing negotiation in Frankfurt.