The Founding of the Weimar Republic
THE GERMAN REVOLUTION

Summary
  • By August 1918 it was clear Germany was losing the war.
  • The German Spring Offensive had failed.
  • The Allies went on a counter-offensive - the USA had 2 million ‘fresh’ soldiers.
  • Germans on the home front were suffering - strikes + protests were frequent.
  • Military discipline was breaking down - Sailors at Kiel mutinied
  • Under pressure from the Generals, Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated (9 November)
  • SPD leader, Friedrich Ebert formed a new Government.
  • Germany had elections (January 1919) for a new Democratic Republic.
Picture
The Armistice

Key Terms

The German Revolution