For Germany, the war was lost, their emperor had fled and the despondent citizens were rebellious. On their last legs and desperate for help the government pursued the support of the social democrats.
The end of the bitter war had caused unstable conditions for Germany and with the defeat of the military, political and ethical deterioration and conservative authority ruling a radical minority, it was evident that Germany needed democracy before it spiralled out of control.
In order to make needed changes, civilians were set on creating a better Germany, indeed were the government. .
A small defiance of the authorities did occur but was this the revolution that had shaped a new beginning in Germany? The sailors had inadvertently started an uproar that was to bring about revolutionary thinking however did a revolution really come about?.
The revolt of the sailors did cause a rippling effect where other suppressed Germans were starting to fight for what they wanted but the actions were controlled and demands were very easily met with little or no trouble. The revolution, unlike the many others that had occurred in recent years took very few lives and caused marginal problems with both authority and civilian. But was this due to the minor changes?.
The sailors revolt against authority showed revolution characteristics, however, the pandemonium caused was merely a cry for order as oppose to a battle of revolutionary change. .
When we review other revolutions that had occurred before that time, revolutions involved complete changes in political systems, a new state, new ideas (generally not liked by the government) and a fast change altogether. With these factors in consideration the revolution that had taken place in Germany during 1918-1919, we have to question the extent in which the German people gained a full revolution. Indeed, changes did occur that led many historians to categorise this event as a revolution but could we not just be viewing a major turning point in German history? The civil service remained unreformed after 1919 along with the judiciary and the office corps.
