Kiel Mutiny 1918

an uprising by the sailors of the German fleet in the city of Kiel in early November 1918.

The occasion for the mutiny was the order of the German Supreme Command for the military ships to put to sea for a battle with the British fleet. The German military clique hoped in the course of this operation to rid the fleet of “rebellious elements.” In response to the repressions and mass arrests that followed the refusal of the sailors to carry out the order, the workers, sailors, and soldiers of the Kiel garrison organized a demonstration and protest meeting on November 3. On November 4, the mutiny spread to the entire fleet. Councils of soldiers and workers were created. The government of Prince Max of Baden entrusted the suppression of the mutiny to one of the right-wing leaders of the Social Democrats, G. Noske. He did not succeed, however, in quelling the mutiny. As it spread to more cities, the mutiny marked the beginning of the November Revolution of 1918 in Germany.