The October Reforms

• When was Armistice signed

  11th November 1918
• When did women achieve the vote

  12th November 1918
• When was the Ebert-Groener pact signed

  10th November 1918
• Why was the Ebert Groener Pact made

  Ebert believed new government needed support from the army and groener was terrified of socialist uprising
• Left's opinion of the Ebert-groener pact

  Felt betrayed that Ebert (SPD) negotiated against them with the Right
• What was the Ebert Groener Pact

  Government had the support of the military with the promise that they could crush any leftist uprisings (communism)
• What was the 'revolution from above'

  • Caused by conservative elite
  • Ludendorff pushed for political change to a constitutional monarchy, kaiser giving power to a parliament, when the loss of war was accepted (more democracy with the monarchy)
  • He hoped this would help achieve the best peace terms and remove blame from military leaders (enforcing the stab in the back myth)
• How did the 'revolution from above' enforce the stab in the back theory

  • Ludendorff wanted to remove the blame from themselves so, Prince Max was appointed chancellor & was responsible of the Reichstag 
  • The armed forces were put under control of a civil government To save Germany from humiliation 
  • Max wrote a ‘peace note’ to Wilson to seek more lenient terms of armistice (waited 3 weeks to reply, suspicious using it as a means to regroup - demanded the kaiser's abdication)
  • Germans found excuses for their defeat absolving their disgrace through scapegoats
• What was the 'revolution from below'

  • Max’s ‘peace note’ for armistice was an admission of defeat, undermining their moral & support for the kaiser leading to a number of strikes,
  • Nov 1918, Kiel Mutiny (refusal of suicide mission)
  • 400,000 Berliners go on strike to force kaiser’s abdication
  • Army removed their support of kaiser
  • 9th November 1918, Kaiser’s abdication announced & Max handed the chancellorship to Ebert
• What problems did Ebert have at the beginning of his Chancellorship

  • Economy - Hunger and flu epidemic, end of war bankruptcy
  • Military - bitter of defeat, demobilisation
  • Opposition of the Right - hostile, powerful elite, Freikorp
  • Opposition of the Left - Radical group strikes, want of a communist revolution, workers council
• When did the KPD call for a general strike on Berlin

  7th January, 500,000 participants marched on Berlin in hopes of a communist revolution