Germany Before the Revolution and What Went Wrong
Germany in 1918 was still quite a new country, only unified in 1871 under Kaiser Wilhelm II's autocratic rule. Whilst the Kaiser had ultimate power, he did work with the Reichstag (parliament) - though he always had the final say on major decisions like going to war in 1914.
By autumn 1918, everything was falling apart. The German army was retreating on the Western Front, and the British naval blockade meant severe shortages of food and fuel back home. People were literally starving.
The Kiel Mutiny became the spark that lit the fuse - German sailors refused a hopeless mission against the Royal Navy, and soldiers backed them up. Workers at factories like Daimler went on strike, and when troops were sent to force them back to work, the soldiers joined the workers instead!
Key Point: By November 1918, Germany was in complete chaos with riots everywhere and even Bavaria declaring independence from Germany.
