I think it's going to be a while before we know everything that happened, but we at least know that it's actually the opposite of the above: the blackout occured _because_ of the system in place; what we don't know yet was what was the triggering event that made the grid shut down. But once the grid is broken, it's a safety mechanism that takes the other participants down gracefully: you can't get blood from a stone (or electrons from an empty pipe).
Electrical power is very difficult to bring online, which is why it takes a while to get everyone back up. It's more art than science.
/jordan