And the Kaiser Abdicates.

PUBLISHED BY THE YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS

IN MEMORY OF

LIEUTENANT EARL TRUMBULL WILLIAMS

301ST UNITED STATES FIELD ARTILLERY

OF THE CLASS OF 1910 YALE COLLEGE

WHO DIED MAY 7TH 1918

AND THE KAISER
ABDICATES

THE GERMAN REVOLUTION

NOVEMBER 1918—AUGUST 1919

BY S. MILES BOUTON

WITH THE CONSTITUTION OF THE GERMAN

COMMONWEALTH TRANSLATED BY

WILLIAM BENNETT MUNRO AND

ARTHUR NORMAN HOLCOMBE

REVISED EDITION

NEW HAVEN

YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS

LONDON : HUMPHREY MILFORD : OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

MDCCCCXXI

COPYRIGHT 1920, 1921 BY

YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS

First published October, 1920.

Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged,

September, 1921.

TO THE

HONORABLE IRA NELSON MORRIS

AMERICAN MINISTER TO SWEDEN

THE MAN, THE DIPLOMAT, AND THE LOYAL

FRIEND, THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY

DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR

Contents.

Chapter I. The Governmental Structure of Germany. 17

Revolutions—Not unknown in Germany—Prussia and the Hohenzollerns—Frederick the Great—Germany under foreign domination—The Battle of the brotherhood of man—Lassalle's national Socialists join the Internationale—Germany's political backwardness—The war of 1870-71—Erection of the German Empire—Why the Reichstag failed to become a real parliament—The Emperor's powers as Kaiser and as King of Prussia.

Chapter II. The German Conception of the State. 31

Individualism repressed for efficiency's sake—Authority the keynote—The Beamter and his special privileges—Prussian ideals of duty—Education—The Officer corps as supporters of the throne—Militarism—Dreams of a Welt-Imperium—The fatal cancer of Socialism.

Chapter III. Internationalism and Vaterlandslose Gesellen. 45

The menace of internationalism—Marx and Engels—Socialist teachings of the brotherhood of man—Lassalle's national Socialists join the Internationale of Marx, Engels and Liebknecht—Socialism becomes a political factor—Bismarck's special laws fail—He tries State Socialism—Kaiser Wilhelm denounces the Socialists—Labor-union movement a child of Socialism—German "particularism"—Socialism weakens feelings of patriotism and undermines the church.

Chapter IV. Germany under the "Hunger-Blockade." 61

Germany's inability to feed and clothe her inhabitants—The war reduces production—Germany's imports in 1913—Food conservation—The "turnip-winter"—Everybody goes hungry—Terrible increase of mortality—Discontent engendered and increased by suffering—Illegitimate trade in the necessaries of life—Rations at the front become insufficient.

Chapter V. Internationalism at Work. 75

General enthusiasm at the war's outbreak—Socialists support the government—Liebknecht denounces the war—Otto Rühle, Franz Mehring, Clara Zetkin and Rosa Luxemburg—The "Spartacus Letters"—Extreme Socialists begin to follow Liebknecht—The first open break in the party—The seceders attack the war—Liebknecht sent to prison—The Russian Revolution as a factor—The political strikes of January, 1918—The army disaffected—Shortage of trained officers.

Chapter VI. Propaganda and Morale. 89

Submarine losses shake sailors' morale—Independent Socialists' propaganda—Admiral von Cappelle admits serious mutiny at Wilhelmshafen—Haase, Dittmann and Vogtherr denounced—Lenine passes through Germany—Russian Bolshevist propaganda in Germany—Treaty of Brest-Litovsk throws down the bars—Activities of the Bolshevist Ambassador Joffe—Haase, Cohn and other Independent Socialists work with him—Joffe expelled from Germany—Allied propaganda helps weaken German morale at home and on the fronts—Atrocity stories.

Chapter VII. Germany Requests an Armistice. 107

Chancellor Michaelis resigns and is succeeded by Count Hertling—Empire honeycombed with sedition—Count Lichnowsky's memoirs—Another Chancellor crisis—Socialists consent to enter a coalition government—Bulgaria surrenders—Hertling admits desperateness of situation—The German front begins to disintegrate—Prince Max of Baden becomes Chancellor, with the Socialist Philip Scheidemann as a cabinet member—Max requests an armistice—Lansing's reply.

Chapter VIII. The Last Days of Imperial Germany. 121

Reforms come too late—The Independent Socialists attack the government—Liebknecht released from prison and defies the authorities—The Kaiser makes sweeping surrenders of powers—Austria-Hungary's defection—Revolution in Vienna—Socialists demand the Kaiser's abdication—The new cabinet promises parliamentary reforms.

Chapter IX. A Revolt Which Became a Revolution. 133

Mutiny at Kiel—Troops fire on mutinous sailors—Demands of the mutineers granted—Noske arrives—The red flag replaces the imperial standard—Prince Henry's flight—Independent Socialists and Spartacans seize their