Yes there were. There was a "revolution" in 1918/1919, sometimes considered a failed revolution, where the left-wing tried to oust the existing Government. Germany was an absolutist monarchy during WWI, rather than a parliamentary monarchy or a democracy like other European countries. The biggest clash between these forces was the Spartakus Uprising in January 1919.

By this time, the government was led by Friedrich Ebert under the Social Democratic Party, already a more moderate government. This is who the Kaiser had given power too when "abdicating" (=feeling). Ultimately, this was a way the old ruling class (including the military) were trying to evade having the loss of the war blamed on them. (Remember that technically, this was only after the armistice and while it was clear that a permanent peace deal was going to be negotiated, this hadn't been done yet. The Treaty of Versailles was yet to come). Conditions on Germany were pretty rough (most imports were blocked, causing big problems in a country that relied on food imports) and due to extensive propaganda, to many Germans the loss of the war was a surprise. They felt betrayed by whoever would acknowledge defeat. The military had done so, somewhat secretly and then left, letting the fall-out rain onto the new government. This controversy over the betrayal over the end of the war is how the revolution started in 1918.

The uprising was led by the Communist party under Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Liebknecht (all names you have probably heard before in regards to communism). They were heavily influenced by the Bolshevik uprising of 1917 and aside from violent clashes, a lot of their action was strike action, being ultimately a workers party. During the clashes, the Freikorps were ordered by Ebert to attack the revolutionists. Some of these, had declared their own "governments" and many were (brutally) murdered, including Luxembourg and Liebknecht. However, the left-wing parties had been in negotiation with Ebert before this, but talks ultimately broke down.

The Weimar Republic was properly formed, with a constitution at the end of Jan 1919, ending the revolution. So ultimately, a democracy was created in Germany, however, it is often considered not having gone "far enough" in that the democracy was still rooted in values of the old elites. This is where the German "Sonderweg" thesis comes from ("special path") as a way the Third Reich has been "explained". Essentially, it has been argued that because Germany was still using antiquated authoritarian ruling systems, this clashed with "modernity" (modernity sometimes also being seen has inherently dangerous), meaning that the Weimar Republic was "doomed to fail". This is not really the accepted view among historians anymore but it is still wide-spread in popular literature.

See also:

Richard Bessel: Germany After the First World War. This book focuses primarily on the demilitarisation in all aspects of German society, including some on the "brutalisation" but also debunking the idea of a "front generation".

Eric Weitz: Weimar Germany. A good overview of Weimar Germany in total, including the political landscape.

Detlev Peukert: The Crisis of Classical Modernity. A classic (pun intended) on modernity in Weimar and the dangers thereof. It was written to counter the argument of the "Sonderweg" that Germany was stuck in the past. Despite scholarship arguing against it, it remains a classic.