German History

Chris Cordtz

His 365 Paper 1

2-16-12

The fall of the German empire at the end of the First World War was a momentous and historical event that crushed the spirits of a nation that had been optimistic, in regards to the war, just months before the foundation of their empire collapsed. General Paul Von Hindenburg, days after the war had ended, stated that “the German army was stabbed in the back” (Von Hindenburg p.16), insinuating that the revolution of the German people caused the collapse of the German front which led to the defeat, but various other sources, which will be addressed individually throughout the course of this paper, suggest that the defeat of the German empire stemmed from a breakdown in communication among the highest levels of the empire, and a string of foolish and negligent decisions led to a situation that was insurmountable from the Germans standpoint. The revolution that was taking place certainly did not help the German cause as they were fighting, but there is an argument to be made that had the Germans approached certain situations earlier in the war in a different way, there might not have been a revolution at all. The purpose of this paper will be to demonstrate the idea that had the German leadership acted differently in the final months of the war, they might have been able to not only avoid a revolution, but also position itself for less harsh consequences and retributions bestowed upon them once the war was concluded.

In August of 1918, during the Conference at General Headquarters, various military officials gathered to discuss the state of the war, and gave a detailed account as to how the war was shaping up. The Secretary of State discussed how it was appearing that the allied forces were quickly gaining the upper hand, and that time was playing more of a factor as long as the war continued. He says that “the chief cause, however, is their original and ever-increasing conviction that the Allied powers, with their...