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Why did Germany ask for an armistice in 1918? - Coggle Diagram
Why did Germany ask for an armistice in 1918?
what was the importance of America's entry into the war
US wanted to stay neutral but 1917 they were drawn into it
the USA lend money to Britain and France which would be lost if Germany won
the USA didn't Europe dominated by a single autocratic power
U-boards sunk four US ships in March 1917
British intercepted the Zimmermann telegram sent by Germany to Mexico in which Germany said that if Mexico attacked the US, it would give Mexico some of US territory once Germany won the war
how did the USA affect the war
soldiers were slow to mobilise
not many soldiers were sent to France so it didn't have much impact
they weren't prepared for trench warfare
their casualties were high
additional manpower, economical resoureces and huge psychological boost to the Allies
led the German High Command to launch the Lundendorff Offensive
General Pershing allowed Mashal Foch to use American soldiers as reinforcments during 1918
why was the German offensive of 1918 unsuccessful
the German's launched four major attacks
9-30 April, German attack in Belgium, US soldiers step in, Germans failed to break through
26-30 May, German attack on Paris, both sides suffered casualties
21-30 March, Germans attacked at the Somme and inflicted heavy casualties on allied soldiers
9-12 June, German attack pushed Allies away from Paris
by August Germany lost experienced soldiers and their replacements were not as good
the allied forces were now under Marshall Foch
wanted to split the French and British forces and win the war before the US could join the Allies
why did the Ludendorff Offensive fail
Germans left their defensive positions at the Hindenburg Line, the salient on the new front line was hard to defend against counter-attacks
Allied powers had more men, tanks, and aircraft
as German attacks pushed further into France, keeping men supplied became harder.
troops from the Eastern front were unprepared to fight at the Western front. Not used to the trench system. They were also extremely exhausted and with low morale
shift in Allied tactics that now used surprise attacks with creeping barrages, tanks and aircraft supporting infantry advances
more than half of them got the flu
the allied counter-attack
on September 29 the Hindenburg Line was broken and Ludendorff asked Prince Max od Baden for an armistice
by the end of October the Hindenburg Line had been broken in many places and Germans were retreating
why did revolution break out in Germany in October 1918
British blockade caused many deaths
there was rationing due to food shortage
working and living conditions worsened
there was an inflation in German's economy
taxes weren't enough to cover the cost of the war, Germany was in debt
people went on strike, demanding political reforms
In September 1918, German generals, Hindenburg and Ludendorff, who had a silent dictatorship, persuaded the Kaiser to create a civilian government under Prince Maximilian von Baden to appear democratic, and so they weren't to blame but the new government was
the German revolution happened in two stages
The Political stage (3-26 October): Prince Maximilian asked President Wilson for an armistice. Which he denied as refused to negotiate with generals or the Kaiser. Power was then transferred from the elite to the Reichstag, which was the civilian government under Prince Maximilian.
The Military Stage (28-9 October): The Kaiser ordered the German fleet to launch a huge major assault. German sailors at Kiel were angered as the war was clearly being lost and did not want to sacrifice any more lives. They mutinied. Protests and strikes followed by the German population. Following this the Kaiser abdicated and fled to Netherlands.
On November 9th Prince Maximilian handed over control to Friedrich Ebert, who immediately asked for a ceasefire.
why was the Armistice signed
The German government wanted to stop the fighting as it was clear they were not winning.
Morale had completely collapsed.
The Armistice was an agreement to stop the fighting and was signed between the Allies and the Germans on 11 November 1918. Many Germans thought the terms were harsh, but the treaty was signed anyway for the sake of the German government, which wanted peace.
terms of the Armistice
Germany would evacuate all occupied territories
Germany would hand in military equipment including their submarine fleet
Germany's surface fleet would go to the British naval base at Scapa Flow in Scotland but they scuttled their ships instead of handing them over
eventual reparations, the amount wasn't set yet
treaties already negotiated with Russia and Romania were cancelled