The Reichstag Peace Resolution was passed by the ''
Reichstag'' of the
German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
on 19 July 1917 by 212 votes to 126. It was supported by the
Social Democrats
Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...
, the Catholic
Centre Party and the
Progressive People's Party, and was opposed by the
National Liberals and the
Conservatives
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
. The resolution was introduced by Centre Party leader
Matthias Erzberger
Matthias Erzberger (20 September 1875 – 26 August 1921) was a German writer and politician (Centre Party), the minister of Finance from 1919 to 1920.
Prominent in the Catholic Centre Party, he spoke out against World War I from 1917 and as a ...
. It was an attempt to seek a negotiated peace treaty () to end
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The resolution called for no annexations, no indemnities, freedom of the seas and international arbitration. It was ignored by the
German High Command and by the
Allied powers.
The resolution was passed five days after
Georg Michaelis
Georg Michaelis (8 September 1857 – 24 July 1936) was the chancellor of the German Empire for a few months in 1917. He was the first (and the only one of the German Empire) chancellor not of noble birth to hold the office. With an economic ba ...
was appointed
Reich Chancellor
The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the G ...
. Michaelis was inwardly opposed to the peace resolution: "It was clear to me that I could not accept the resolution in this form." An open conflict was, however, avoided in that Michaelis presented the resolution as a workable framework in his inaugural address but spoke of the "resolution ''as I conceive it''." The policy of the peace resolution was thus stillborn under his leadership.
References
{{reflist
External links
The Reichstag’s Peace Resolution (July 19, 1917) ''Documents – Germany at War, 1914–1918: Seeking an End to War'', from German History in Documents and Images (GHDI).
Government documents of Germany
Reichstag (legislative body)
Resolutions (law)
World War I documents
1917 documents
Peace treaties