Why Did World War I End So Suddenly? The Unexpected Armistice of 1918 - David Stevenson

00:00 // Introduction: Why Did WWI End When It Did? 02:15 // The Armistice Scene: The Railway Carriage in the Forest 05:30 // The Triple Stalemate: Military, Political & Diplomatic 10:45 // America Enters the War — and the Long War Illusion 14:20 // The Eastern Front: Revolution & the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk 18:00 // Wilson's 14 Points: The Idealistic Peace Program 21:30 // The Ludendorff Offensives & Allied Counter-Attack 27:00 // Why the Allies Were Winning: Technology, Shells & Logistics 33:10 // Germany's Four-Layer Crisis: Balkans to Home Front 41:00 // The Armistice Deal: Why Both Sides Said Yes 47:30 // The Stab-in-the-Back Myth & the Legacy of Versailles This lecture will re-examine how the First World War ended, anticipating the centenary commemorations in 2018. It will discuss both why Germany requested a ceasefire, and why the Allies and America granted one. It will argue that the German army was near collapse, and that Germany was not defeated by a 'stab in the back' at home. None the less, the Allies had good reasons not to press on to Berlin. This lecture was recorded by David Stevenson on the 7th November 2018 Professor David Stevenson is a British historian specialising in the First World War. He is Professor of International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/e... Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham College's mission, please consider making a donation: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involve... Website: https://gresham.ac.uk X: https://x.com/GreshamCollege Facebook:   / greshamcollege   Instagram:   / greshamcollege   Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/greshamcolle... TikTok:   / greshamcollege   Support Us: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involve...