Appointment After the
Oberste Heeresleitung (OHL) told the government in late September 1918 that the German front was about to collapse and asked for immediate negotiation of an armistice, the cabinet of Chancellor
Georg von Hertling resigned on 30 September 1918. Hertling, after consulting Vice-Chancellor
Friedrich von Payer (FVP), suggested Prince Max of Baden as his successor to the emperor. However, it took the additional support of Haußmann,
Oberst and Ludendorff himself to have Wilhelm II appoint Max as
Imperial Chancellor of Germany and
Minister President of Prussia. (2nd from left) leaving the Reichstag, October 1918
In office Although Max had serious reservations about the conditions under which the OHL was willing to conduct negotiations and tried to interpret Wilson's
Fourteen Points in a way most favourable to the German position, This was not possible under the imperial constitution as it stood. Article 11 defined the empire as a confederation of states under the permanent presidency of the king of Prussia. While Wilhelm believed he ruled the empire in personal union with Prussia, in truth the imperial crown was tied to the Prussian crown. Under the constitution, Wilhelm could not renounce one crown without renouncing the other.
Revolution and resignation On 7 November, Max met with
Friedrich Ebert, leader of the SPD, and discussed his plan to go to Spa and convince Wilhelm II to abdicate. He considered installing
Prince Eitel Friedrich, Wilhelm's second son, as regent; however, the outbreak of
the revolution in Berlin prevented Max from implementing his plan. Ebert decided that to keep control of the socialist uprising the Emperor must abdicate quickly and a new government was required. As the masses gathered in Berlin, at noon on 9 November 1918, Maximilian went ahead and unilaterally announced Wilhelm's abdication of both the imperial and Prussian crowns, as well as the renunciation of
Crown Prince Wilhelm. Shortly thereafter, Ebert appeared in the
Reichskanzlei and demanded that the government be handed over to him and the SPD, as that was the only way to keep up law and order. In an unconstitutional move, Max resigned and appointed Ebert as his successor. On the same day, Philipp Scheidemann spontaneously
proclaimed Germany a republic in order to placate the masses and prevent a socialist revolution. When Maximilian later visited Ebert to say goodbye before leaving Berlin, Ebert – who urgently wanted to keep up the old order, improving it through parliamentary rule, and head a legitimate, not a revolutionary government – asked him to stay on as regent (
Reichsverweser). Maximilian refused and, turning his back on politics for good, departed for Baden. Although events had overtaken him during his tenure at the Reichskanzlei and he was not considered a strong Chancellor, Max is seen today as having played a vital role in enabling the transition from the old regime to a democratic government based on the majority parties and the Reichstag. This made the government of Ebert that emerged from the November revolution acceptable to some conservative forces in the bureaucracy and military, which was one of Ebert's strongest aims. They were thus willing to ally themselves with him against the more radical demands by the revolutionaries on the far-left. ==Later life==