Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/865

The Final Stages of the War: th n Russian Revolution 649 1172. The Hohenzollerns Overthrown. The German War Council, including the kaiser and crown prince, made a vain effort to save the old system. General Ludendorff, especially conspicu- ous for his offensive German spirit, was sent off, and the Allies were informed that far-reaching changes in the government had been undertaken which assured the people a complete control not only over the government but over the military power (October 27). Soon the German government began to deal directly with General Foch in its eargerness to secure an armistice at any cost, for a great social revolution was imminent. Moreover, the Allied forces were closing in on Germany all along the line from the North Sea to the Swiss boundary, and the Germans were retreat- ing with enormous losses of men and supplies. On November 9, to the astonishment of the world, it was announced that his Majesty, Emperor William II, had abdicated. He soon fled to Holland, and that world menace, the House of Hohenzollern, was a thing of the past. The king of Bavaria had been forced off his throne the day before, and all the former monarchies which composed the German Empire were speedily turned into republics. On November 10 a revolution took place in Berlin, and a socialist leader, Friedrich Ebert, assumed the duties of chancellor with the consent of the previous chancellor and all the secretaries of state. Even Prussia had become a republic overnight. The Ger- man Empire of Bismarck and William I was no more. 1173. Terms of the Armistice. Meanwhile negotiations in regard to an armistice were in progress. Representatives of the German government made their way across the lines and met General Foch, November 8, and received the terms which the Allies had drawn up. The Germans were required to evacuate within two weeks all the territory they had occupied Belgium, northeastern France, Luxemburg, as well as Alsace-Lorraine. Moreover, the German forces were to retire beyond the right bank of the Rhine, and that portion of Germany which lies west of the river was to be occupied by troops of the Allies. All German troops in territories formerly