Why did Germany surrender in 1918?
Technically, Germany did not surrender on 11 November 1918. All combatant commanders signed an Armistice. That is a document that agrees to cessation of hostilities until various issues can be addressed by their political leaders. There were/are precedents in European warfare, such as the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714). It’s true that the German economy was in crisis and the army demoralised, possibly on the brink of mass mutiny and communist insurrection, following the Russian revolution a year earlier. It is this final point that led German politicians to press for a Treaty to end the fighting. However, the French economy and national morale were in an even more parlous state. In addition, the French had/have lost every war in which they engaged since 1714 and their politicians saw the same conclusion looming in autumn 1918. Anything to stop the fighting would have been acceptable but the German agreement to a Treaty raised the prospect of reparations – the financial equivalen
