The failure of the Spring Offensive and the loss of her allies in mid- to late-1918 eventually resulted in a German surrender and the signing of a ceasefire on November 11th 1918.
Why did Germany finally decide to surrender? Germans believed they couldn't win, there was mutiny in the army and navy, there were revolts and civilians declared Germany to be a republic, there was about to be a revolution, and the Allies were ready to invade them, so they surrendered to save their country.
On Nov. 11, 1918, after more than four years of horrific fighting and the loss of millions of lives, the guns on the Western Front fell silent. Although fighting continued elsewhere, the armistice between Germany and the Allies was the first step to ending World War I.
The terms of the armistice stripped Austria of all power to renew the war should she be so inclined. The army was to be wholly and promptly demobilized. Austrian brigades fighting with the Germans were to be withdrawn. All territories occupied by Austria since the beginning of the war were to be evacuated.
The German government approached the United States with a request for an armistice. They hoped that this would be based on the 'Fourteen Points' laid down in January 1918 by US President Woodrow Wilson as a foundation for 'peace without victory'.
The Versailles Treaty forced Germany to give up territory to Belgium, Czechoslovakia and Poland, return Alsace and Lorraine to France and cede all of its overseas colonies in China, Pacific and Africa to the Allied nations.
Germany lacked the necessary raw materials to make cordite (the vital propellant for bullets and shells) and explosives. Austria-Hungary was hampered by a lack of rail transport and rail infrastructure. Britain had a manpower shortage and a paucity of acetone, the key component for making cordite.
The treaty's so-called “war guilt” clause forced Germany and other Central Powers to take all the blame for World War I. This meant a loss of territories, reduction in military forces, and reparation payments to Allied powers.
European countries dealt a harsh punishment to Germany for its role in the First World War—a move that would soon come back to haunt the world.
COs who entered military service were also arrested for refusing to obey military orders. Over one-third of the 16,000 COs went to prison at least once, including the majority of absolutists who were imprisoned virtually for the duration.
Germany asked to negotiate an armistice.
In fact, the Germans had started making overtures about an armistice in early October. At first they tried to go through U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, fearing that the British and the French would insist upon harsh terms. But that end run didn't succeed.
While the Germans were not militarily defeated, or even economically desperate, the government and general public saw no prospect of winning. Presented with the possibility of negotiating a settlement, their willingness to continue the conflict simply dissolved. The Germans were defeated by exhaustion.
Dwight D. Eisenhower's headquarters in Reims by Gen. Alfred Jodl, Chief of Staff of the German Army. The unconditional surrender of the German Third Reich was signed in the early morning hours of Monday, May 7, 1945, at Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) at Reims in northeastern France.
After heavy fighting, Soviet forces neared Adolf Hitler's command bunker in central Berlin. On April 30, 1945, Hitler committed suicide. Within days, Berlin fell to the Soviets. German armed forces surrendered unconditionally in the west on May 7 and in the east on May 9, 1945.
Germany sought to break up the French-Russian alliance and was fully prepared to take the risk that this would bring about a major war. Some in the German elite welcomed the prospect of beginning an expansionist war of conquest. The response of Russia, France and later Britain were reactive and defensive.
For Germany, the four signatories were: Matthias Erzberger, a civilian politician. Count Alfred von Oberndorff, from the Foreign Ministry. Major General Detlof von Winterfeldt, army.
Perhaps the most humiliating portion of the treaty for defeated Germany was Article 231, commonly known as the "War Guilt Clause," which forced the German nation to accept complete responsibility for initiating World War I.
The terms of the Treaty were very damaging to Germany: territory was taken from Germany - depriving it of valuable industrial and agricultural income. Article 231, the War Guilt Clause blamed Germany and her allies for starting the war – this led to feelings of humiliation and anger.
The Treaty of Versailles was hated by Germans. Rathenau, the foreign minister, was assassinated in 1922 for signing the treaty. The Armistice had not led to a fair settlement. The Weimar politicians who signed it were called November Criminals because people felt they had betrayed Germany.
Germany hated the military terms of the Treaty (army of 100,000, only 6 battleships, no submarines or aeroplanes). The Germans said it left them powerless against even the tiny new nation-states. The demilitarisation of the Rhineland was hated because the Weimar republic was weak, and there were many rebellions.
No one in Germany was happy with the settlement, and the Allies threatened Germans with military invasion to get them to sign the treaty. After four years of war and sacrifice, German citizens felt humiliated to accept blame for the war and territorial loss.
The Treaty of Versailles didn't just blame Germany for the war—it demanded financial restitution for the whole thing, to the tune of 132 billion gold marks, or more than $500 billion today. How—and when—could Germany possibly pay its debt? Nobody could have dreamed that it would take 92 years.
Historians who believe Germany was primarily responsible for the war base their conclusion on the aggressive attitude of Germany's leaders, their desire to extend Germany's influence throughout Europe, and on the militaristic nature of the German people.
Then the Germans invaded France through Belgium, requiring England to intervene in the war as well. So Austria-Hungary technically started the war, but Germany tried to finish it. For four years. That's why Germany takes the blame for World War I.
There was no intention of splitting Germany up into its constituent states after World War I. It just wasn't something talked about seriously. The French and British wanted Germany neutered but sufficiently productive to repay its debts.