The Fall of the Empire: Germany
By autumn 1918, many German citizens were fed up with the war. There were major food shortages and protests and rallies throughout the country. The population blamed Kaiser Wilhelm II for all the sacrifices made during World War I and demanded his abdication. Most soldiers were tired of fighting as well and wanted the war to end. A Farewell to Arms was not just a metaphor for millions of Germans; in 1918, they all wanted peace, a new life and a return to their loved ones.
The military leaders of Germany knew that they could not win World War I. By this point, the military was largely in control of the country and had gained enormous influence over the Kaiser. Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg and his loyal deputy General Erich Ludendorff were in a quandary. In hopes of gaining more favorable terms when they surrendered to the Allies, German generals urged the liberal Prince Max von Baden to form a new German government that would be more democratic. But they were unable to control the navy, whose leaders wanted to go down fighting rather than surrender.
In the face of defeat, the Naval Command insisted on trying to precipitate a climactic pitched battle with the British Royal Navy utilizing its secret naval order of 24 October 1918. Operational order Op. 269/AI was a plan made by the German Admiralty to provoke a decisive battle between the German High Seas Fleet…