To knock the Russians out of the war Germany helped Lenin rise to power in war torn Russia.
Socialist thinking swept across Europe, and there was talk of a world revolution. I would like to know more about this as the idea that it seemed possible many intrigues me.
Who and what should I be reading, and can someone please give me some background information?
There were a lot of big socialist movements across the globe, especially in China, America and Germany. The Red Scares pretty much killed it in America, and the German Revolution was suppressed by the fascists there. China ended up in a civil war. A lot of countries adopted Socialism later on though.
The movement was still young and growing rapidly, which is why it was anticipated to spread so much.
I don't know what you can read, but I suggest asking at /r/communism and /r/socialism as well.