Abdication of the Kaiser

Causes of the Abdication

The abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II was an event brought about by the growing pressure on the German government to end the war. Germany and its people were suffering from the effects of a war that had lasted too long.

Background: Germany in 1918

By 1918, Germany's position in the First World War was becoming weaker by the day. Here is an overview of where Germany found itself by the summer of 1918, just a few months before the end of the war.

• The German Spring Offensive in March 1918 had come at great cost to Germany. Many lives had been lost, food and weapons supplies had been exhausted, and it was a struggle to resupply the front line. As a result, many soldiers lost faith in the cause and deserted the army.
• The Allies, in particular the British, had changed their tactics in order to make their attacks more efficient - as displayed at the Battle of Amiens in August 1918.
• The USA joined the war in 1917, meaning the Allies had an extra 2 million soldiers on the Western Front. Not only did they make a difference militarily, but their presence boosted morale of the Allies.
• Germany's allies had begun to surrender, dropping out of the war and lessening Germany's power. Bulgaria surrendered in September 1918, Turkey in October 1918, and Austria-Hungary, their main ally, on 4 November 1918.

Naval Mutinies and Popular Unrest

As the autumn of 1918 approached, it became increasingly clear that Germany would not be able to win the war. In October 1918, it was decided that the Imperial Navy would have one last battle against the Allies - not to gain anything, but to end the war with honour - to go down fighting.

When the soldiers stationed at Kiel were told this, they immediately recognised that this would be a suicide mission. They refused to return to their ships after shore leave in protest of the plan. Their discontent quickly spread, and by 3 November 1918, they had set up councils to fight for their rights against the government.

Fig. 1 - A postcard advocating the Kiel Mutiny and the desire for revolution

Other groups across the country were inspired by the way the soldiers resisted their orders, and more councils began to form across the country to fight for political reform. They asked the government to put the German people first for once and to deal with the man who had got Germany into the war in the first place - Kaiser Wilhelm II.

The Abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II

Unsurprisingly, the Kaiser was not willing to abdicate voluntarily. The German Chancellor, Max von Baden, met the Kaiser on 7 November 1918. He tried to persuade him to resign and even considered some names to succeed him as regent. But the real blow for the Kaiser came when his top military generals confessed that they no longer had confidence in him as the leader of the country.

By 9 November 1918, time had run out. What had begun as popular unrest was now on the verge of becoming a fully-fledged revolution in Berlin, and the government recognised that something had to be done to stop that from happening. Concerns that a communist revolution would break out were very high, especially considering the 1917 Russian Revolution had occurred a year before.

Abdication of the Kaiser Date

At noon on 9 November 1918, before the Kaiser had actually agreed to abdicate, Chancellor Max von Baden announced the Kaiser's abdication to the masses gathered in Berlin. Later in the day, Philip Scheidemann announced the beginning of the German Republic, which was greeted with excitement by the waiting crowds.

Fig. 2 - Phillip Scheidemann annnouncing the creation of he Weimar Republic from the balcony of the Reichstag

After this, the Kaiser really had no choice but to abdicate. He agreed to the abdication only a few hours after von Baden's announcement, and the next day left the country via train for Holland, where he lived out the rest of his life.

Abdication of the Kaiser Outcome

The abdication of the Kaiser was only one part of the events that ended the First World War. After the abdication had taken place, the German army and government had no obstacles to signing an armistice with the Allies.

Abdication of the Kaiser Signing of the Armistice

On 11 November 1918, an armistice was signed, agreeing that Germany would retreat and give up all land that it had taken during the First World War and remove all its troops from occupied territory.

Fig. 3 - Friedrich Ebert, first President of the Weimar Republic, in 1918

Yet then there was the question of what lay in store for post-WWI Germany? The monarchy could not be brought back, and the overwhelming calls for political reform from the German people could not be ignored. Friedrich Ebert, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, had taken over from Max von Baden as Chancellor following the abdication. He chaired a temporary coalition government while politicians worked to set up the constitution of the new Weimar Republic.