Final answer:
The Beer Hall Putsch exemplifies Wilentz's notion that significant historical events can be overshadowed by later events. It shows how the early Nazi attempt at overthrowing the government and the consequent imprisonment of Hitler—who then wrote "Mein Kampf"—laid groundwork for the rise of Nazi power overshadowed by subsequent World War II and the Holocaust.
Step-by-step explanation:
To support Wilentz's perspective on how certain historical events can be overshadowed by subsequent more dramatic ones, we can examine the dynamics between the Beer Hall Putsch and the rise of Nazi power in Germany. The Beer Hall Putsch of 1923 was an early attempt by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) to seize power in Munich, Bavaria. Although this coup ultimately failed, it had significant ramifications for the future of Germany, underscoring the unstable political environment and the potential effects of hyperinflation.
The aftermath of the putsch saw Hitler sentenced to prison, during which time he wrote "Mein Kampf," laying out his ideologies that would later form the basis of Nazi policies. Moreover, the putsch highlighted the desperation of the German people in the economically tumultuous Weimar Republic era, making them susceptible to extremist solutions. In this way, the Nazi's subsequent rise to power can be seen as a directly consequent thread starting from the social and political unrest that the putsch exemplified. The inflation and economic hardship fueled Hitler's early popularity, paving the way for the eventual Nazi domination of German politics and the catastrophic events of World War II.