The end of old Germany

• The allies offered Germany peace, as long as the Kaiser abdicated and Germany become more democratic
• When the Kaiser refused to step down:

  1. Sailors rebelled in the town of Kiel
  2. In Bavaria an independant Socialist Republic was declared
• in November 1918, the Kaiser abdicated and fled to the Netherlands
• In November 1918, Friedrich Ebert became the new Chancellor of Germany
• With the cooperation of the German army, Ebert signed an armistice with the allies on the 11th November
• Ebert and his government were called the "November Criminals" by right-wing opponents
• In 1919, Ebert was voted President of the new German Republic