Kiel mutiny

The Kiel mutiny (German: Kieler Matrosenaufstand) was a revolt by sailors of the German High Seas Fleet against the maritime military command in Kiel. The mutiny broke out on 3 November 1918 after sailors at Wilhelmshaven refused orders on 30 October to sail out for what was to be the final battle against the British Grand Fleet. The mutineers saw the planned battle, which had been ordered by the Admiralty without the knowledge or approval of the German government, as a futile "death voyage". They took over Kiel by means of workers' and soldiers' councils and then helped spread them across Germany. The German Revolution that was triggered by the councils swept aside the Hohenzollern monarchy within a few days, brought about the end of the German Empire and led to the establishment of the Weimar Republic.