> Imperial Germany facilitated Lenin’s rise in Russia. <
Yes, indeed. It was a classic case of not thinking things through. Helping Lenin get back to Russia hastened the collapse of the tsar. And since the tsar was Germany’s enemy, it seemed like a good move.
What the Germans didn’t care to realize was that Lenin’s political philosophy was one of universal revolution. Lenin was much worse than the tsar.
I think the Germans knew precisely the quality of what they were dealing with in the matter of Lenin. It was because they understood the infectious nature of his political views that they described transporting on a train on from Switzerland to Russia as if he were a "sealed bacillus". However, just like any bioweapon, he proved an advantage in the short term, but difficult to contain in the long run.