1918 in Germany
The following is a list of events of the year 1918 in Germany.
1918 saw the continuation of World War I into its fourth year, already causing massive strain to the German home front. In late January, strikes across German cities saw armament workers walk off the job for a week. As consequence, the Imperial Government arrested strike organisers. With the withdrawal of Soviet Russia from the war in March, the German army began preparing for a massive offensive on the Western Front. The Spring Offensive, however, failed. The war deteriorated in September for the Central Powers with the withdrawal of Bulgaria, forcing Germany's military leaders - Erich Ludendorff and Paul von Hindenburg - to accept Germany's defeat and convince Kaiser Wilhelm II to begin seeking peace. A liberal government headed by Prince Maximilian of Baden was appointed in October.
In late October and early November, a mutiny by sailors in Kiel caused the spread of Workers' and Soldiers' Councils across Germany. Power was handed over the Social Democratic Party, headed by Friedrich Ebert, who declared Germany a republic on November 9 - bringing an end to the German Empire and German monarchies. On November 11, Germany signed an armistice with the Allies, thereby ending World War I. The last two months of the year were unstable for the new republic, directly leading to the political chaos of 1919.
Incumbents
National level
Head of State
- Emperor – Wilhelm II, abdicated 9 November
- Republic – vacant
Head of Government
- Chancellor (Imperial) - Georg von Hertling to 30 September, then from 3 October Prince Maximilian of Baden to 9 November
- Republic – from 9 November Friedrich Ebert, ''"Head of Government"''
Events
January
- 30 January - Armament workers resume work in Bavarian cities except Munich, whose workers went on strike on January 31.
February
- 1 February - Social Democratic Party of Germany|USDP] representatives in Bavaria, including Kurt Eisner, are arrested for their involvement in the Januarstreik.
- 3 February - The Action Committee of the Januarstreik terminates the strike ahead of the government's February 4 deadline.
- Date unknown - Arthur Scherbius applies to patent the Enigma machine.
September
- 29 September - Spa Conference: Ludendorff and Hindenburg agree to begin seeking an armistice with the Allies following Bulgaria's withdrawal from the war.
October
- Wilhelm II appoints Max von Baden Chancellor of Germany.
- 4 October - Wilhelm II forms a new more liberal government to sue for peace.
- 28 October - Kiel Mutiny: sailors at Kiel mutiny against naval orders to launce a final attack on the British navy. The mutiny's leaders are arrested.
November
- 3 November - Protests by Kiel sailors and workers to free arrested mutineers are met violently before the city garrison defects to the demonstrators. Workers' and Soldiers' councils are established, beginning the German Revolution.
- 8 November - The People's State of Bavaria overthrows the Bavarian monarchy.
- 9 November:
- * Wilhelm II is forced to abdicate and flees to the Netherlands
- * Germany is proclaimed a republic by Philipp Scheidemann of the MSPD, and Karl Liebknecht of the Spartacus League.
- 10 November: The Ebert-Groener pact secures the army's support for the new republic in return for Ebert's pledge to prevent Communism from establishing itself in Germany.
- 11 November - End of WWI and Armistice with Germany (Compiègne): Germany signs an armistice agreement with the Allies between 5:12 AM and 5:20 AM in Marshal Foch's railroad car in Compiègne Forest in France. It takes effect at 11:00 AM.
December
- 28 December - The USDP leaves its coalition with the governing MSPD due to disagreements on how to restructure the army.
Born
- 10 January - Harry Merkel, racing driver
- 1 March - Franz Becker, footballer
- 3 March - Fritz Thiedemann, equestrian
- 20 March - Bernd Alois Zimmermann, composer
- 28 April - Karl-Eduard von Schnitzler, journalist
- 24 May - Katharina Szelinski-Singer, sculptor
- 1 August - Artur Brauner, film producer
- 4 August - Claus Holm, actor
- 22 September – Hans Scholl, White Rose resistance member
- 10 October - Werner Dollinger, politician
- 20 October - Werner Maihofer, jurist and politician
- 26 October - Dietrich von Bothmer, art historian
- 5 November - Gisela Arendt, swimmer
- 8 November - Hermann Zapf, typeface designer and calligrapher
- 10 November – Ernst Otto Fischer, chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- 23 December – Helmut Schmidt, politician
Deaths
January
- 6 January – Georg Cantor, mathematician
- 7 January – Julius Wellhausen, biblical scholar
- 9 January – Max [Ritter von Müller], World War I fighter ace
- 10 January – August Oetker, entrepreneur
- 21 January – Emil Jellinek, automobile entrepreneur
February
March
- 9 March – Frank Wedekind, playwright
- 10 March
- * Hans-Joachim Buddecke, flying ace
- * Eugen von Zimmerer, German prosecutor, attorney and
- 15 March – Adolf Ritter von Tutschek, fighter ace
- 17 March – Hans Bethge, World War I flying ace
- 30 March – Richard Beitzen, World War I naval officer
April
- 4 April – Hermann Cohen, philosopher
- 20 April – Karl Ferdinand Braun, inventor, physicist and Nobel laureate in physics
- 21 April
- * Friedrich II, Duke of Anhalt
- * Manfred von Richthofen, fighter pilot
- 27 April – Oscar Troplowitz, pharmacist and entrepreneur
May
- 14 May - Max Wilms, surgeon and physician
- 28 May - Richard Assmann, meteorologist and physician
June
- 24 June - Julius Kollmann, anatomist and zoologist
July
- 7 July - Arno Bieberstein, swimmer
- 9 July – Hans am Ende, Impressionist painter
August
- 22 August – Korbinian Brodmann, neurologist and psychiatrist
- 30 August – Wilhelm Kühne, World War I flying ace
September
- 10 September - Carl Peters, colonial ruler, explorer, politician and author
- 13 September – Eduard, Duke of Anhalt, nobleman.
- 23 September - Georg Theodor August Gaffky, bacteriologist
- 28 September - Georg Simmel, philosopher and sociologist
October
- 9 October - Hanns Braun, athlete
- 18 October – Fritz Otto Brenert, World War I flying ace
- 26 October – Olivier Freiherr von Beaulieu-Marconnay, World War I flying ace
November
- 4 November - Hans Graf von Schwerin-Löwitz, politician
- 5 November:
- * Wolfgang Zenker, World War I naval officer
- * Bruno Heinemann, World War I naval officer
- 9 November - Albert Ballin, shipping magnate
- 23 November - Fritz von Below, general
- 22 December – Hermann Theodor Simon, physicist