Medal - Der verkappte Ritter

Reverse

A knight in armor and with a helmet sits at the table writing. To his right is an eagle with its beak grasping the visor of his helmet, and under the table is a mole.

Script: Latin

Lettering:
DER VERKAPPTE RITTER
M. GÖTZE

Engraver: Martin Götze

Comment

A mock medal for the events surrounding the Reich Chancellor von Bethmann Hollweg. On June 5, 1916, he had taken a stand on press censorship in the Reichstag. He criticized the increasing number of publications that denigrated his policies. This included the pamphlet by the East Prussian General Regional Director Wolfgang Kapp. Kapp advocated unrestricted submarine warfare, which Bethmann Hollweg wanted to prevent. He called Kapp a 'political pirate'. Four years later, Kapp appointed himself Reich Chancellor and Prussian Prime Minister in what he called the Kapp Putsch in March 1920. After five days, the putsch collapsed in the face of a general strike.