The Fall of the Dynasties: The Collapse of the Old Order: 1905-1922

by Edmond Taylor

“Some say the Emperor should have gone to some regiment at the front, hurled himself with it upon the enemy and sought death in one last attack,” the ex-Kaiser notes in his memoirs. “That would not only have rendered impossible the armistice ... but would also have meant the useless sacrifice of the lives of many soldiers.” Wilhelm also records his feeling that a Heldentod (“hero’s death”) at the front would have been a violation of Christian principles incompatible with his honorary position as first bishop of the Evangelical Church in Germany. Presumably their ex-master’s views were known to the conferees at the Hotel Britannique, and in any case by the afternoon of November 9 Groener’s idea — which might conceivably have saved the monarchy if carried out in time — was no longer practical. It was equally impossible for Wilhelm to return home for a last stand against the revolution. The roads back to Germany were blocked by the Reds.