Kaiser Abdicates: Germany Proclaimed a Republic
He didn't jump — he was pushed. Kaiser Wilhelm II, who'd ruled 65 million Germans with near-absolute power, abdicated on November 9, 1918, not because he chose to, but because Chancellor Max of Baden simply announced it without asking him. Wilhelm was still alive. Still furious. He fled to the Netherlands and lived another 23 years in exile, chopping wood at Doorn. But here's the thing: the Republic proclaimed that same afternoon was announced from a window by a man who had no authority to do it.
November 9, 1918
108 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Germany
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Kaiser
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Wilhelm II of Germany
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republic
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German revolution
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Kaiser
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Wilhelm II
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German revolution of 1918–1919
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Proclamation of the republic in Germany
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Weimar Republic
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World War I
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Prince Maximilian of Baden
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Abdankung Wilhelms II.
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German Emperor
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Friedrich Ebert
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Philipp Scheidemann
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Reichstag building
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Liga Espartaquista
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Karl Liebknecht
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Berliner Schloss
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República soviética
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Rosa Luxemburg
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Die Rote Fahne
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German Empire
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Germany
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Republic
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