1. Why did Germany sign the armistice in 1918?
Identify the reasons for the allied victory in WW1.
Evaluate the reasons for the Allied victory in WWI.
Reach a supported conclusion as to the most important reason.

2. Starter:
As a group, form a hypothesis on why Germany signed the armistice in 1918.

3. Use the images to help you add more detail to your hypothesis.

4. Supporting evidence Reasons for Germans signing armistice
Your hypothesis
Any other reasons

5. Your task:
Using the cards you have been given, add to your answer in a different colour.

6. Look back at your initial hypothesis
Look back at your initial hypothesis. How would you now answer this question?

7. In a nutshell… Ludendorff Offensive failing Naval blockade
Mutinies & civil unrest in Germany
Trench conditions, casualties and loss of territory
America entering the war
Improvements in technology

8. TASK; Think, Pair, Share Look at your notes.
Discuss in pairs which reason you think is the most important reason why the Allies won.
Share this as a group – do you all agree?
Be prepared to explain your answer.
You have 5 minutes.

9. Casualties % Mobilized
Countries
Total Mobilized
Killed & Died
Wounded
Prisoners & Missing
Total Casualties
Casualties % Mobilized
Allied Powers
Russia
12,000,000
1,700,000
4,950,000
2,500,000
9,150,000
76.3
France
8,410,000
1,357,800
4,266,000
537,000
6,160,800
British Empire
8,904,467
908,371
2,090,212
191,652
3,190,235
35.8
Italy
5,615,000
650,000
947,000
600,000
2,197,000
39.1
United States
4,355,000
126,000
234,300
4,500
364,800
8.2
Japan
800,000
300
907 3
1,210
0.2
Romania
750,000
335,706
120,000
80,000
535,706
71.4
Serbia
707,343
45,000
133,148
152,958
331,106
46.8
Belgium
267,000
13,716
44,686
34,659
93,061
34.9
Greece
230,000
5,000
21,000
1,000
17,000
11.7
Portugal
100,000
7,222
13,751
12,318
33,291
33.3
Montenegro
50,000
3,000
10,000
7,000
20,000
40.0
Total
42,188,810
5,152,115
12,831,004
4,121,090
22,104,209
52.3
Central Powers
Germany
11,000,000
1,773,700
4,216,058
1,152,800
7,142,558
64.9
Austria-Hungary
7,800,000
1,200,000
3,620,000
2,200,000
7,020,000
90.0
Turkey
2,850,000
325,000
400,000
250,000
975,000
34.2
Bulgaria
87,500
152,390
27,029
266,919
22.2
22,850,000
3,386,200
8,388,448
3,629,829
15,404,477
67.4
Grand Total
65,038,810
8,538,315
21,219,452
7,750,919
37,508,686
57.6

10. The USA Enters The War
 The United States declared war on Germany on April 6th
American troops joined the French and British in the summer of 1918.
They were fresh and not war-weary and were invaluable in defeating the Germans.

11. The first Battle of the Marne took place between 5th and 11th September, The most important consequence of the battle was that the French and British forces were able to prevent the German plan for a swift and decisive victory.
The second major battle close to the River Marne took place during the summer of During the Spring Offensive, the German Army advanced over the Aisne in late May and reached the Marne on 5th June. The French Army was in poor shape and the Commander-in-Chief, Henri-Philippe Petain, knew that the British were busy dealing with the German offensive at Lys. Eventually Sir Douglas Haig agreed to send Petain four divisions and two divisions of the recently arrived US Army were also available. Over 85,000 American soldiers took part in the battle.
The German attack on the Marne was launched by General Erich von Ludendorff on 15th July. Twenty-three divisions of the First and Third Armies attacked the French Fourth Army in the east of Reims and seventeen divisions of the Seventh army took on the French Fifth Army to the west.
The Germans failed to break through and General Ferdinand Foch was able to organize a counterattack. This included 24 divisions of the French Army, and soldiers from the United States, Britain and Italy. On 20th July the Germans began to withdraw. By the 3rd August they were back to where they were when they started the Spring Offensive in March.
Allied casualties during the 2nd Battle of the Marne were heavy: French (95,000), British (13,000) and United States (12,000). It is estimated that the German Army suffered an estimated 168,000 casualties and and marked the last real attempt by the Central Powers to win the First World War.

12. Improvements In Technology
 The allied victory in November 1918 was not solely due to American involvement.
Rapid advancements in weapon technology meant that by 1918 tanks and planes were commonplace.
They helped the Allies to break the stalemate on the Western Front and start pushing the Germans back.

13. Germany’s Final Push Fails
The German commander Erich Ludendorff (right) was a brilliant military commander and had won decisive victories over Russia in that led to the Russian withdrawal from the war.
In 1918 he announced that if Germany was to win the war then the allies had to be defeated on the Western Front before the arrival of American troops.
Although his offensive was initially successful the allies held ground and eventually pushed the Germans back.

14. Naval Blockade of Germany
The British Navy blockaded the sea approaches to German ports. This meant that ships could not enter or leave the German ports, essentially stopping supplies being delivered to Germany by sea.
This created food shortages. By the end of the war the German people were nearly starving. They lived on handouts of turnips, potatoes and saw-dusty bread.
Even basic foods were strictly rationed. The longer the war went on, the worse the food shortages became.
Fuel shortages led to power cuts, factories had to close and transport could no longer run. Germany was grinding to a halt.
To make things worse, a flu virus spread across Germany, killing thousands.

15. Civil Unrest In Germany
With defeat close on the battlefields, and conditions poor at home, the German army asked for peace.
The allies agreed, but only if the Kaiser shared his power.
This proved unpopular, and public opinion turned against the Kaiser.
Revolution was being talked about.
The was a Naval Mutiny which was the catalyst for mass unrest.
The Kaiser was losing control of the country as soldiers and workers rose up against him.
The Kaiser, Wilhelm I, had to abdicate.
Freidrich Ebert, leader of the Social Democratic Party, became head of the government.