The right choice?

Nobody doubts that Germany was fighting a losing war in 1918, but was it the right choice of the high command to surrender? Maybe, if they threaten to fight to the end (like in WW2) they could have negotiated a more favourable peace, considering the Allies were no less war tired then they were. Add to this the possibility of returning to their own borders and the Allies would have lost any claim of being the 'good guys' trying to liberate France and Belgium (remember article 231!).

I don't think that they really had ANY choice but to sign the armistice. Germany was half-starved and nearly bankrupt because of the blockades. The best of the German Army had already been killed, the German people were on the verge of rebellion and her troops were just being shoved back and back. Her navy was "still in jail" and in a state of mutiny. You also have to remember that where the German people in WW2 lived under a true terror regime so didn't dare talk defeat, the regime in 1918 was merely authoritarian, but not led by a bunch of total homicidal maniacs. The leaders then knew they were beaten, and had the sense to see that further fighting would do more harm than good. The danger of a Bolshevik uprising in Germany was very real indeed: and none of the monied classes wanted that!

Bob

The German High Command in autumn 1918 had no choice. The Army was demoralized and bloodless for four years of war, and so the chance of organizing a general withdrawal and a new defensive line along the german border was very doubtful. Besides the shortage of supply maked very difficult to hold on to this new MBL. The Navy was in revolt, so many cities.In this situation the only way to salvage whatever possible was to demand a ceasing fire to guarantee the return of the Army in Germany, to avoid so the threat of a general revolution.
I think that avoid the waste of men and supply suffered by Germans during the spring offensive, the Kaiserschlacht of march 1918, and use the 400.000 men freed from the russian front to reinforce the west front and to improve the supply's chain (food and strategic material from russian territories under german control) could help the Germany to obtain a honourable peace.

Germany was in over there heads toward the end of the war, they where full of themselves after igniting the Russian defeat, so they continued on. When they finally realized that Britian, France, and America where together a superior force, they had no choice but to say "We surrender" If you where in a fight that started with seven opponent's and two fronts, by the time the fight reached three remaining opponents which would you choose, to fight, or give in. Germany lost 3.5 million people, The allies lost 2.1 million France with the majority. America just getting into the war, Britian still running strong. Germany, just like in WWII had no choice, These number are kind of high for one wrong turn in 1914, don't you think?