Abdication & Armistice

Cards (17)

  • Germany had to face the combined might of the Allies (Britain, France, Russia, and later the USA) in World War I
  • The war lasted from 1914 to 1918
  • During World War I, 2 million German troops were killed and 4 million were wounded
  • The war caused spiraling debt for Germany, which by 1918 was 3 times the debt they had in 1914
  • In 1918, the British navy blocked German trade routes, preventing German supply ships from delivering food to the ports, leading to severe food shortages and an estimated 750,000 people dying from hunger
  • Protests, riots, and a general strike occurred in Germany, with the communist ideas of workers and soldiers councils becoming popular
  • The navy rebellions in Kiel and Hamburg, where sailors refused to follow orders and were supported by workers, were the final nail in the coffin for the Kaiser
  • On November 9, 1918, the Kaiser's ministers told him that the only way to restore order would be for him to abdicate, and he did so that evening
  • On November 10, 1918, the Kaiser escaped the country and went into exile in Holland
  • On the streets of Berlin, people were calling for the abdication of the Kaiser and the establishment of a communist government
  • Philip Scheidermann, a leading member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), gave a hurried speech to announce the abdication of the Kaiser and the establishment of a republic
  • Friedrich Ebert, the leader of the SPD, became the Chancellor and formed a Council of People's Representatives to quickly set up the new republic
  • On November 11, 1918, Matthias Erzberger, a representative of the new government, signed the armistice agreement to end the war
  • Many Germans saw the end of the war as a betrayal, as they believed Germany had not lost the war in battle
  • Ebert had to keep the people, the leaders of industry, and the army on side to maintain control of the new republic
  • Ebert kept the existing civil servants who had run Germany under the Kaiser, as well as communicating with the leaders of the army and industry, and making concessions to trade unions, to maintain control
  • Despite Ebert's efforts, the threats from extreme political parties and the risk of public unrest remained ever-present throughout the years of the Weimar Republic