Ceasefire Ends Hostilities of World War I

By autumn 1918, German military leaders knew that their military was collapsing and there was no way to win World War I. German authorities decided to pursue a ceasefire. As news spread that the war was lost, revolts broke out throughout many German cities. The government had lost the support of the military and large swaths of the population. On November 9, 1918, German Chancellor, Prince Max von Baden, announced that Kaiser Wilhelm II was giving up the throne, and a new government was forming.

The Supreme Command of the German military begged representatives of the new German government to sign a ceasefire agreement quickly. They did so because the German military was rapidly falling apart. The agreement was signed within days of the collapse of the German Empire. The ceasefire went into effect at 11am on the 11th day of November 1918. German military leaders had argued that an end to the war was necessary because of the hopeless military situation. Nevertheless, they would soon blame the German defeat in World War I on left wing members of the newly formed government.