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

by Edmond Taylor

On the evening of November 8, however, the Kaiser stall had not grasped the implications of the drama at Compiegne. Earlier in the day he had ordered a plan to be drawn up for the restoration of order in the country by the army. He had never varied in his belief that the army, whose military oath included unconditional obedience to the Kaiser’s commands, stood as a shield between revolution and the dynasty, and the Supreme Command had, so far, not seen fit to disillusion him. As Wilhelm saw it, it was the army’s duty to obey him and his duty to take the head of the operation: he had said so to Prince Max, who had kept him on the phone for nearly half an hour with a heart-to-heart appeal “as a relative and a German prince” to consent to immediate abdication. Once again, in the face of the Kaiser’s refusal, the Chancellor had begged to be allowed to resign. But Wilhelm would not let him off the hook. “You asked for the armistice,” he said sarcastically, using the familiar thou. “You stay and see it through!”