November criminals
The term November criminals refers to a belief held by various right-wing German nationalists (including Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party) that Germany lost in World War I due to a fault on the homefront, mostly those who signed and/or aquiesced to the Treaty of Versailles. It was often referred to as a Jewish-Marxist “stab in the back”.
Since no Allied soldiers had stepped foot on German soil, many who believed in the utter invincibility of the army asserted that the statesmen who had signed the Treaty of Versailles were traitors, and that victory would have eventually come otherwise. The treaty was enormously unpopular in Germany, not only because there was a weak tradition of republicanism, but also because of its disastrous consequences. Germany (under the War Guilt Clause) was forced to accept complete responsibility for the war--no small humiliation. The Rhineland was demilitarized and Allied troops were to patrol the area. There were also enormous war reparations to be paid.
November criminals is a vague term, because it does not necessarily refer only to these statesmen, but to a vast Jewish-Marxist conspiracy (mentioned above) that was often interpereted as including Germans who were not considered sufficiently patriotic or militaristic. It was also applied to those who participated in the revolution that overthrew the imperial government and instituted the Weimar Republic.
Adolf Hitler learned of Germany's defeat while being treated for temporary blindness following a gas attack on the front. He alleges to have had a vision at this time which drove him to enter politics and "redress these dreadful wrongs," (Spielvogel) "liberate the Germans from their bondage and make Germany great." Throughout his career he railed against the November criminals and was able to gain considerable support, since the loss of the war and the signing of the treaty were seen as the source of the people's great hardships.
Background
The Nazis and the November Criminals
Sources