There are uncomfortable echoes of the past in Germany’s failed far-right plot

Editorial: It is evidence that the extreme right can all too easily graduate from frothing online to real-world violence and terror

The putsch, such as it was, had almost comical elements to it (AP)

The attempted putsch in Germany never had much chance of overthrowing the Federal Republic, its constitution and its government.

The plot was uncovered at a very early stage by the authorities, which suggests it was prone to infiltration, and in any case, the German people remain committed to the peaceful and democratic road to prosperity that has served them so well since the war. That trauma, and its lessons, was not about to be swept away by a gang of cranks.

Indeed, the putsch, such as it was, had almost comical elements to it, such as the involvement of the Ruritanian-sounding Heinrich XIII, Prince of Reuss, a scion of ancient, but minor, nobility.