Resolution of the War
The Resolution of WWI
German forces expected great success at the beginning of 1918, partially due to the fact that Russia had left the war, partially due to their impending “Michael Offensive” in March of that year. They forced British soldiers back across the Somme battlefield, but lost their advantage when British and French forces staged a counter attack soon after.
The Triple Alliance quickly realized it would now be impossible for them to come out of this Great War on top. Between the failure of 1914’s Schlieffen Plan, the Verdun offensive in 1916, their own naval strike, the United States joining the war, the impending collapse of Austria-Hungary, and now the loss of their Great Battle in France, it was time for the German forces to concede.
In September of 1918, Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg and General Erich Lu dendorff asked that the German government end the fighting for the war was lost. They hoped that negotiations for an armistice agreement based on Woodrow Wilson’s peace proposals could begin immediately, but it wasn’t until November 9th of that year that Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated, allowing an agreement to pass.
On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, the armistice went into effect. Many hoped that the agreement would be based directly on Wilson’s 14 point plan for peace, but this was not the case. His specifications were interpreted in such a way that the eventual Treaty of Versailles butchered Germany, with the allied states imposing almost indefinite military and economic control of its borders.
The Triple Alliance quickly realized it would now be impossible for them to come out of this Great War on top. Between the failure of 1914’s Schlieffen Plan, the Verdun offensive in 1916, their own naval strike, the United States joining the war, the impending collapse of Austria-Hungary, and now the loss of their Great Battle in France, it was time for the German forces to concede.
In September of 1918, Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg and General Erich Lu dendorff asked that the German government end the fighting for the war was lost. They hoped that negotiations for an armistice agreement based on Woodrow Wilson’s peace proposals could begin immediately, but it wasn’t until November 9th of that year that Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated, allowing an agreement to pass.
On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, the armistice went into effect. Many hoped that the agreement would be based directly on Wilson’s 14 point plan for peace, but this was not the case. His specifications were interpreted in such a way that the eventual Treaty of Versailles butchered Germany, with the allied states imposing almost indefinite military and economic control of its borders.
Wilson’s 14 Points
After the 1917 revolution in Russia, the allies were inclined to define their personal aims int the war. Woodrow Wilson presented these fourteen points before both houses of congress in order to garner support for his postwar vision of a more unified world.
Resources
Interwar Period — Freemanpedia. (2013, January). Retrieved from http://www.freeman-pedia.com/interwar-period/
Kitchen, M. (2011, February 17). BBC - History - World Wars: The Ending of World War One, and the Legacy of Peace. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/war_end_01.shtml
The Fourteen Points. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1324.html