Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/861

 The Final Stages of the War: the Russian Revolution 647 and on September 29, 1918, the Bulgarians threw up their hands and asked for an armistice. This was granted on condition of absolute surrender. The defection of Bulgaria proved decisive, and it was clear that Turkey could not keep up the fight when cut off from her Western allies, and that Austria-Hungary, open to invasion through Bulgaria, must soon yield. 1168. Turkey Surrenders (October 31). Turkey was the next to give up the fight. In Palestine General Allenby followed up the capture of Jerusalem (December, 1917) by the relentless pursuit of the Turkish armies. The English and French speedily conquered Syria, taking the great towns of Damascus and Beirut, and the Syrians could now celebrate their final deliverance from the century-long, cruel subjugation to the Turks. The Turkish army in Mesopotamia was also captured by the English. So Turkey was quickly forced to follow Bulgaria's example and ac- cepted the terms of surrender imposed by the Allies (October 31). V. FALL OF THE HOHENZOLLERN AND HAPSBURG DYNASTIES AND CLOSE OF THE WAR 1169. The Plight of the Germans. Thus the loudly heralded "peace drive" of the Germans had turned into a hasty retreat on the Western Front, and their Eastern allies had dropped away. The oncoming troops from the United States, steadily streaming across the Atlantic, brought new hope to the Allies ; for the Americans were fresh and brave and full of enthusiasm, and they were backed by a great and rich country, which had thrown its well-nigh inexhaustible resources on the side of the war-weary Allies in their fight against Prussianism. The Germans began to see that they had been grossly deceived by their leaders. The ruthless use of the U-boats had not suc- ceeded in subduing England, but it had aroused this new and mighty enemy across the Atlantic, whose armies found themselves able to cross the ocean in spite of Germany's submarines. The Germans had forced shameful treaties upon the former Russian provinces with the purpose of making the poor, discouraged, and