You know what? I'll bite.
I've had an idea along these lines for some time now, but I fear that I lack both the requisite knowledge about the period and the time to adequately research it in order to lay the framework for a good TL. I'd like to see what others have to say about the initial idea...
Here goes...
Our Point of Divergence occurs in the heady days of 1914, though not in Imperial Germany but instead in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In Vienna, a young civil servant Franz Kafka toys with the idea of enlisting in the Austro-Hungarian Army. From what we know of him in OTL, he seriously considered such a move motivated partly by a desire to validate his manhood and partly by a desire to achieve a degree of separation from his complicated relationship with Felice Bauer his on-again-off-again fiancee. Now in OTL Kafka's concerns over his fragile health among other things, helped to override these considerations as he ended up opting out of military service and taking advantage of the exemption granted to him due to his work in a government insurance agency. However in TTL Kafka decides to throw caution to the wind and join the ranks of the Austro-Hungarian Army.
Due to his university degree, I'd wager that Kafka would receive an officer's commission. Going through officer and basic training and experiencing the sense of camaraderie associated with the armed forces could soothe Kafka's feelings of social isolation he had previously especially if he buys into the training. For the sake of the TL let's say he does and is given command of an infantry unit which is then sent to the frontlines. During this time he continues to write, though only when he has free time.
While on the frontlines, Kafka get’s his first taste of modern warfare. These experiences prove to be deeply troubling to Kafka as they quickly penetrate the shell of confidence created by his military training. Struck by the horrors of war, Kafka returns to his writing modifying his previous works into a short story tentatively titled
The Machine (This is a modified version of OTL’s
In The Penal Colony which incorporates Kafka’s personal experience of the military and warfare. In OTL
In The Penal Colony was written around the same time and incorporated a number of themes related to the First World War).
As Kafka continues to lead his men on the front, growing casualties begin to take their toll on him personally. Kafka quickly becomes more and more disillusioned with the Austro-Hungarian government and the bourgeois capitalist system in general (which he comes to see as a main cause of the conflict). This disillusionment results in Kafka’s increasing politicization as well as a decrease in his effectiveness as a leader. These views also come to heavily influence his work
The Machine.
Soon, Kafka’s views begin to attract the attention of his comrades, especially when one of his fellow officers finds Kafka’s manuscript of “The Machine”. He reads it and rather than reporting Kafka, he passes it on to a like-minded NCO. Despite his best efforts Kafka fails to stop the spread of his work and many junior officers and enlisted men read it. Thus the first manuscript of
The Machine is lost as it is redistributed and copied as it makes its way through the ranks of the Austro-Hungarian army. Positive reviews prompt Kafka to write a second version of the story.
Things drastically change when Kafka is severely wounded in action. Sent to a hospital, Kafka is eventually honourably discharged. Once home he proceeds to pursue publishing
The Machine illegally.
The Machine proves to be a major hit among socialist circles in the German speaking world. Despite government censorship copies spread far and wide disseminating far faster than anyone would have initially thought. Fortunately for Kafka it is written under a penname thereby saving him some trouble from the authorities. Still
The Machine proves to be a powerful motivator for anti-war movements in the German speaking world. Furthermore,
The Machine continues to gain a powerful following among the armed forces not only of Austria-Hungary, but of Imperial Germany as well.
Known in socialist circles for writing
The Machine Kafka becomes involved in more mainline socialist groups as a writer. He writes several famous tracts that are distributed in both Austria and Germany as well as translated. Copies of these tracts also find traction in the military often found accompanying illicit copies of
The Machine when confiscated in barracks. The popularity of his writings prompts Kafka to issue a second (in reality third) edition of
The Machine with a decidedly revolutionary afterword (written after the successful Bolshevik Revolution).
Kafka’s second edition of
the Machine is even more incendiary than the 1st and proves to be a major influence in the German Revolution of 1918/1919. Due to its popularity in the German speaking world support for the revolution is greater, especially among the military thereby lessening the power of the Freikorps. The added numbers and support provided by Kafka’s work is just enough to give the German revolutionaries enough power to overthrow the government and establish themselves in Germany.
Thoughts?
Here's a link to a synopsis of Kafka's OTL work "In the Penal Colony"