Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

The Traité of Brest-Litovsk was signed the March 3rd 1918 between the governments of the central Empires, carried out by the German Empire and the young republic Bolshevik, resulting from the Révolution of October in Russia, in the town of Brest-Litovsk.

At the beginning of the year 1917, the Russian population, in its vast majority wishes the end of the First World War. This desire of peace is one of the immediate causes of both Russian Révolutions.

It will be necessary to await the revolution of October and the come to power of the Bolsheviks so that a decree of peace is ratified by the congress of the Soviets the October 26th 1917. The November 7th, Trotsky, as a Police chief of the People to the Foreign affairs, proposes with Allied and the Empires of Central Europe a general peace. For the latter, and in particular for the German Empire, a separate peace would make it possible to concentrate on a single face in the west, where the contribution of additional troops could be decisive.

The negotiations begin only the December 9th, talks to which the Allies do not take share.

The February 10th, the Russian delegation, in agreement with the leaders Bolsheviks, refuses to sign the peace treaty proposed by Allemagne ; this one indeed does not have anything the “ peace démocratique : without annexations, without contributions, by reserving to the people the right to lay out of themselves ” which the Bolsheviks asked. They thus hope to show with the whole world that the new capacity in Russia is not placed on the ground of the fights between imperialists by being unaware of the populations. They also hope that the alarm clock of the German working class (see German Révolution) which already appeared by important strikes at the end of 1917 and at the beginning of 1918 will not make it possible the imperial armies to continue the engagements.

However, this solution “neither war, nor peace” holds pas : the revolution delays in Germany, and the February 21st the troops take again their projection in Russia, demolish the troops Bolsheviks, occupy the Baltic States and the Ukraine whose agricultural resources must come to assistance of Germany under blockade. The Bolsheviks are then constrained to accept the conditions which theirs are imposed.

The treaty is signed the March 3rd 1918.

By this treaty, immense territories are annexed to the German empire, in particular the Ukraine (the latter however will be taken again after the defeat of Germany in November), the Bielorussia, the Baltic States and the Poland. In addition, the government Bolshevik must pour in Reich an allowance of 94 tons gold.

In addition, the German reinforcements arrived only tardily in France, because of the enormous distances and of necessary times of recovery. They allowed an offensive, pushed back at the time of the Second battle of the Marne, which could not be exploited for lack of cavalry. Indeed, this one had remained in the East, to control the immense annexed territories (approximately a million square kilometers).

With the German Revolution and the Armistice of the November 11th 1918, the treaty became null and void, and during the Russian Civil war the Red Army took again the Ukraine and Bielorussia.

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