The term November criminals was abusively applied by anti-democratic German politicians to those social democrats and others who, on November 9, 1918 overthrew the old Imperial order in Germany and instead instituted a democratic republic and then signed an armistice with the Allies so ending the First World War.

In fact, it is highly unlikely that even if the old order had survived it could have prosecuted the war for any longer than a few more days. Germany was exhausted, and its troops in retreat.