Consequences of the conclusion of the Brest peace in 1918 Brest peace treaty

Signing of the Brest Peace

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk meant the defeat and withdrawal of Russia from the First World War.

A separate international peace treaty was signed on March 3, 1918 in Brest-Litovsk by representatives of Soviet Russia (on the one hand) and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria) on the other. Separate peace- a peace treaty concluded by one of the participants in the warring coalition without the knowledge and consent of the allies. Such a peace is usually concluded before the general cessation of the war.

The signing of the Brest Peace Treaty was prepared in 3 stages.

The history of the signing of the Brest Peace

First stage

Soviet delegation in Brest-Litovsk met by German officers

The Soviet delegation at the first stage included 5 commissioners - members of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee: A. A. Ioffe - chairman of the delegation, L. B. Kamenev (Rozenfeld) and G. Ya. Sokolnikov (Brilliant), SRs A. A. Bitsenko and S. D Maslovsky-Mstislavsky, 8 members of the military delegation, 3 translators, 6 technical officers and 5 ordinary members of the delegation (sailor, soldier, Kaluga peasant, worker, ensign of the fleet).

The armistice negotiations were overshadowed by a tragedy in the Russian delegation: during a private meeting of the Soviet delegation, a representative of the Headquarters in a group of military consultants, Major General V. E. Skalon, shot himself. Many Russian officers believed that he was crushed because of the humiliating defeat, the collapse of the army and the fall of the country.

Based on the general principles of the Decree on Peace, the Soviet delegation immediately proposed that the following program be adopted as the basis for negotiations:

No forced annexation of territories captured during the war is allowed; the troops occupying these territories are withdrawn as soon as possible.
The full political independence of the peoples who were deprived of this independence during the war is being restored.
National groups that did not have political independence before the war are guaranteed the opportunity to freely decide the question of belonging to any state or their state independence by means of a free referendum.
Cultural-national and, under certain conditions, administrative autonomy of national minorities is ensured.
Refusal of contributions.
Solution of colonial issues on the basis of the above principles.
Prevention of indirect restrictions on the freedom of weaker nations by stronger nations.

On December 28, the Soviet delegation left for Petrograd. The current state of affairs was discussed at a meeting of the Central Committee of the RSDLP(b). By a majority of votes, it was decided to drag out the peace negotiations as long as possible, in the hope of an early revolution in Germany itself.

The Entente governments did not respond to an invitation to take part in peace negotiations.

Second phase

At the second stage of the negotiations, the Soviet Delegation was headed by L.D. Trotsky. The German high command expressed extreme dissatisfaction with the delay in peace negotiations, fearing the disintegration of the army. The Soviet delegation demanded that the governments of Germany and Austria-Hungary confirm their lack of intentions to annex any territories of the former Russian Empire - according to the Soviet delegation, the decision on the future fate of self-determining territories should be carried out by a popular referendum, after the withdrawal of foreign troops and return refugees and displaced persons. General Hoffmann in his response speech stated that the German government refuses to clear the occupied territories of Courland, Lithuania, Riga and the islands of the Gulf of Riga.

On January 18, 1918, General Hoffmann, at a meeting of the political commission, presented the conditions of the Central Powers: Poland, Lithuania, part of Belarus and Ukraine, Estonia and Latvia, the Moonsund Islands and the Gulf of Riga retreated in favor of Germany and Austria-Hungary. This allowed Germany to control the sea routes to the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Bothnia, as well as to develop an offensive against Petrograd. The Russian Baltic ports passed into the hands of Germany. The proposed border was extremely unfavorable for Russia: the absence of natural borders and the preservation of Germany's foothold on the banks of the Western Dvina near Riga in the event of war threatened to occupy all of Latvia and Estonia, threatened Petrograd. The Soviet delegation demanded a new interruption of the peace conference for another ten days in order to familiarize their government with the German demands. The self-confidence of the German delegation increased after the Bolsheviks dispersed the Constituent Assembly on January 19, 1918.

By mid-January 1918, a split was taking shape in the RSDLP(b): a group of "left communists" headed by N. I. Bukharin insisted on rejecting the German demands, and Lenin insisted on their acceptance, publishing the Theses on Peace on January 20. The main argument of the “left communists” is that without an immediate revolution in the countries of Western Europe, the socialist revolution in Russia will perish. They did not allow any agreements with the imperialist states and demanded that "revolutionary war" be declared on international imperialism. They declared their readiness "to accept the possibility of losing Soviet power" in the name of "the interests of the international revolution." The conditions proposed by the Germans, shameful for Russia, were opposed by: N. I. Bukharin, F. E. Dzerzhinsky, M. S. Uritsky, A. S. Bubnov, K. B. Radek, A. A. Ioffe, N. N. Krestinsky , N. V. Krylenko, N. I. Podvoisky and others. The views of the "left communists" were supported by a number of party organizations in Moscow, Petrograd, the Urals, etc. Trotsky preferred to maneuver between the two factions, putting forward an "intermediate" platform "neither peace, nor war "-" We stop the war, we do not conclude peace, we demobilize the army.

On January 21, Lenin gives a detailed justification for the need to sign peace, announcing his "Theses on the immediate conclusion of a separate and annexationist peace" (they were published only on February 24). 15 participants of the meeting voted for Lenin's theses, 32 people supported the position of the "Left Communists" and 16 - the position of Trotsky.

Before the departure of the Soviet delegation to Brest-Litovsk to continue negotiations, Lenin instructed Trotsky to drag out the negotiations in every possible way, but in the event that the Germans presented an ultimatum, peace would be signed.

IN AND. Lenin

On March 6-8, 1918, at the 7th emergency congress of the RSDLP (b), Lenin managed to persuade everyone to ratify the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Voting: 30 for ratification, 12 against, 4 abstentions. Following the results of the congress, the party was, at the suggestion of Lenin, renamed the RCP (b). The congress delegates were not acquainted with the text of the treaty. Nevertheless, on March 14-16, 1918, the IV Extraordinary All-Russian Congress of Soviets finally ratified the peace treaty, which was adopted by a majority of 784 votes against 261 with 115 abstentions and decided to transfer the capital from Petrograd to Moscow in connection with the danger of a German offensive. As a result, representatives of the Left Socialist-Revolutionary Party left the Council of People's Commissars. Trotsky resigned.

L.D. Trotsky

Third stage

None of the Bolshevik leaders wanted to put their signature on the shameful treaty for Russia: Trotsky resigned at the time of signing, Ioffe refused to go as part of a delegation to Brest-Litovsk. Sokolnikov and Zinoviev proposed each other's candidacies, Sokolnikov also refused the appointment, threatening to resign. But after long negotiations, Sokolnikov nevertheless agreed to lead the Soviet delegation. The new composition of the delegation: G. Ya. The delegation arrived in Brest-Litovsk on March 1 and two days later, without any discussion, signed the contract. The official ceremony of signing the agreement took place in the White Palace (the house of the Nemtsevichs in the village of Skokie, Brest region) and ended at 5 p.m. on March 3, 1918. And the German-Austrian offensive that began in February 1918 continued until March 4, 1918.

The signing of the Brest peace treaty took place in this palace

Terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Richard Pipes, an American scientist, doctor of historical sciences, professor of Russian history at Harvard University, described the terms of this agreement as follows: “The terms of the agreement were extremely burdensome. They made it possible to imagine what kind of peace the countries of the Quadruple Accord would have to sign if they lost the war … ". According to this treaty, Russia was obliged to make many territorial concessions by demobilizing its army and navy.

The Vistula provinces, Ukraine, provinces with a predominantly Belarusian population, Estland, Courland and Livonia provinces, the Grand Duchy of Finland were torn away from Russia. Most of these territories were to become German protectorates or become part of Germany. Russia pledged to recognize the independence of Ukraine represented by the government of the UNR.
In the Caucasus, Russia conceded the Kars region and the Batumi region.
The Soviet government ended the war with the Ukrainian Central Council (Rada) of the Ukrainian People's Republic and made peace with it.
The army and navy were demobilized.
The Baltic Fleet was withdrawn from its bases in Finland and the Baltic.
The Black Sea Fleet with all the infrastructure was transferred to the Central Powers.
Russia paid 6 billion marks in reparations plus the payment of losses incurred by Germany during the Russian revolution - 500 million gold rubles.
The Soviet government pledged to stop revolutionary propaganda in the Central Powers and allied states formed on the territory of the Russian Empire.

If the results of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk are translated into the language of numbers, it will look like this: a territory of 780,000 square meters was torn away from Russia. km with a population of 56 million people (a third of the population of the Russian Empire), on which before the revolution there were 27% of cultivated agricultural land, 26% of the entire railway network, 33% of the textile industry, 73% of iron and steel were smelted, 89% of coal was mined and 90% sugar; there were 918 textile factories, 574 breweries, 133 tobacco factories, 1685 distilleries, 244 chemical plants, 615 pulp mills, 1073 machine-building plants and 40% of industrial workers lived.

Russia was withdrawing all its troops from these territories, while Germany, on the contrary, was introducing them there.

Consequences of the Brest Peace

German troops occupied Kyiv

The advance of the German army was not limited to the zone of occupation defined by the peace treaty. Under the pretext of ensuring the power of the "legitimate government" of Ukraine, the Germans continued their offensive. On March 12, the Austrians occupied Odessa, on March 17 - Nikolaev, on March 20 - Kherson, then Kharkov, Crimea and the southern part of the Don region, Taganrog, Rostov-on-Don. A “democratic counter-revolution” movement began, proclaiming Socialist-Revolutionary and Menshevik governments in Siberia and the Volga region, an uprising of the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries in July 1918 in Moscow and the transition of the civil war to large-scale battles.

The Left Socialist-Revolutionaries, as well as the faction of “Left Communists” that had formed within the RCP(b), spoke of the “betrayal of the world revolution,” since the conclusion of peace on the Eastern Front objectively strengthened the conservative Kaiser regime in Germany. The Left SRs resigned from the Council of People's Commissars in protest. The opposition rejected Lenin's arguments that Russia could not but accept the German conditions in connection with the collapse of its army, putting forward a plan for the transition to a mass popular uprising against the German-Austrian invaders.

Patriarch Tikhon

The Entente powers took the concluded separate peace with hostility. On March 6, British troops landed in Murmansk. On March 15, the Entente announced the non-recognition of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, on April 5, Japanese troops landed in Vladivostok, and on August 2, British troops landed in Arkhangelsk.

But on August 27, 1918, in Berlin, in the strictest secrecy, a Russian-German supplementary treaty to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and a Russian-German financial agreement were concluded, which were signed on behalf of the government of the RSFSR by Plenipotentiary A. A. Ioffe, and on behalf of Germany - von P. Ginze and I. Krige.

Soviet Russia pledged to pay Germany, as compensation for damages and expenses for the maintenance of Russian prisoners of war, a huge indemnity of 6 billion marks (2.75 billion rubles), including 1.5 billion in gold (245.5 tons of pure gold) and credit obligations, 1 billion deliveries of goods. In September 1918, two "gold echelons" (93.5 tons of "pure gold" worth over 120 million gold rubles) were sent to Germany. Almost all Russian gold that arrived in Germany was subsequently transferred to France as an indemnity under the Versailles Peace Treaty.

Under the supplementary agreement, Russia recognized the independence of Ukraine and Georgia, renounced Estonia and Livonia, which, under the original agreement, were formally recognized as part of the Russian state, bargaining for itself the right to access the Baltic ports (Revel, Riga and Windau) and retaining Crimea, control over Baku , giving Germany a quarter of the products produced there. Germany agreed to withdraw its troops from Belarus, from the Black Sea coast, from Rostov and part of the Don basin, and also not to occupy any more Russian territory and not to support separatist movements on Russian soil.

On November 13, after the Allied victory in the war, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was annulled by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. But Russia could no longer take advantage of the fruits of the common victory and take a place among the winners.

Soon the withdrawal of German troops from the occupied territories of the former Russian Empire began. After the annulment of the Brest Treaty among the Bolshevik leaders, Lenin's authority became indisputable: “By perspicaciously accepting a humiliating peace that gave him the necessary time, and then collapsed under the influence of his own gravity, Lenin earned the broad confidence of the Bolsheviks. When, on November 13, 1918, they tore up the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, following which Germany capitulated to the Western Allies, Lenin's authority in the Bolshevik movement was raised to an unprecedented height. Nothing better served his reputation as a man who made no political mistakes; never again did he have to threaten to resign in order to insist on his own,” R. Pipes wrote in his work “The Bolsheviks in the Struggle for Power”.

The civil war in Russia continued until 1922 and ended with the establishment of Soviet power in most of the territory of the former Russia, with the exception of Finland, Bessarabia, the Baltic States, Poland (including the territories of Western Ukraine and Western Belarus that became part of it).

Brest Peace(1918) - a peace treaty between Soviet Russia and Germany and its allies in the world war of 1914-1918: Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey.

Brest Peace

On October 26 (November 8), 1917, the 2nd Congress of Soviets adopted a decree on peace, after which the Soviet government proposed that all belligerent states begin immediate negotiations on an armistice. None of the Entente countries (Russia's allies in the war) responded to these peace proposals, but the countries of the German-Austrian bloc agreed at the end of November to negotiate an armistice and peace with representatives of the Soviet Republic. Negotiations began in Brest-Litovsk on December 9 (December 22), 1917.

The signing of peace at that moment was urgently demanded by the internal and external situation in Soviet Russia. The country was in a state of extreme economic ruin, the old army actually disintegrated, and a new one was not created. But a significant part of the leadership of the Bolshevik Party came out in favor of continuing the revolutionary war (a group of “Left Communists” led by N.I. Bukharin. At the peace negotiations, the German delegation, taking advantage of the fact that the offensive of its army was rapidly developing at the front, offered Russia predatory peace conditions, according to to which Germany would annex the Baltic states, part of Belarus and Transcaucasia, and also receive indemnity.

Since by this time the German troops, without encountering serious resistance from the remnants of the Russian army, had already occupied Ukraine, the Baltic states, most of Belarus, some western and southern regions of Russia and were already approaching Petrograd, on March 3, 1918, Lenin's government signed a peace treaty. In the west, a territory of 1 million square meters was torn away from Russia. km, in the Caucasus, Kars, Ardagan, Batum retreated to Turkey. Russia pledged to demobilize the army and navy. According to an additional Russian-German financial agreement signed in Berlin, she was obliged to pay Germany an indemnity of 6 billion marks. The treaty was ratified on March 15, 1918 by the Extraordinary Fourth All-Russian Congress of Soviets.

On December 9, 1917, peace negotiations began in Brest-Litovsk, where the headquarters of the German command was located. The Soviet delegation tried to defend the idea of a "peace without annexations and indemnities." January 28, 1918 Germany gave Russia an ultimatum. She demanded to sign an agreement under which Russia was losing Poland, Belarus and part of the Baltic States, a total of 150 thousand square kilometers.

This placed the Soviet delegation in front of a severe necessity between the proclaimed principles and the demands of life. The principles were to wage war, not to make a shameful peace with Germany. But they didn't have the strength to fight. The head of the Soviet delegation, Leon Trotsky, like other Bolsheviks, painfully tried to resolve this contradiction. Finally, it seemed to him that he had found a brilliant way out of the situation. On January 28, he delivered his famous peace speech at the talks. In short, it boiled down to the well-known formula: "Don't sign peace, don't wage war, but dissolve the army."

Leon Trotsky declared: “We are withdrawing our army and our people from the war. Our soldier-plowman must return to his arable land in order to peacefully cultivate the land this spring, which the revolution has transferred from the hands of the landowners into the hands of the peasant. We are withdrawing from the war. We refuse to sanction those conditions which German and Austro-Hungarian imperialism writes with a sword on the body of living peoples We cannot sign the Russian revolution under conditions that bring oppression, grief and misfortune to millions of human beings The governments of Germany and Austria-Hungary want to own the lands and the peoples by the right of military seizure. Let them do their work openly. We cannot consecrate violence. We are withdrawing from the war, but we are forced to refuse to sign a peace treaty." After that, he announced the official statement of the Soviet delegation: "Refusing to sign the annexationist treaty , Russia, for its part, declares the state of war ended. az about complete demobilization along the entire front."

German and Austrian diplomats were at first really shocked by this incredible statement. There was complete silence in the room for several minutes. Then the German General M. Hoffmann exclaimed: "Unheard of!" The head of the German delegation, R. Kuhlmann, immediately concluded: "Consequently, the state of war continues." "Empty threats!" - L. Trotsky said, leaving the meeting room.

However, contrary to the expectations of the Soviet leadership, on February 18, the Austro-Hungarian troops launched an offensive along the entire front. Almost no one opposed them: only bad roads prevented the advance of the armies. On the evening of February 23, they occupied Pskov, on March 3 - Narva. The Red Guard detachment of sailor Pavel Dybenko left this city without a fight. General Mikhail Bonch-Bruevich wrote about him: "Dybenko's detachment did not inspire confidence in me; it was enough to look at this sailor freemen with mother-of-pearl buttons sewn on wide bell-bottoms, with rollicking manners, to understand that they would not be able to fight with regular German units. My fears were justified ... "On February 25, Vladimir Lenin bitterly wrote in the Pravda newspaper:" Painfully shameful reports about the refusal of the regiments to maintain their positions, about the refusal to defend even the Narva line, about the failure to comply with the order to destroy everything and everyone during the retreat; let's not say about flight, chaos, handlessness, helplessness, slovenliness".

On February 19, the Soviet leadership agreed to accept the German terms of peace. But now Germany has put forward much more difficult conditions, demanding five times as much territory. About 50 million people lived on these lands; more than 70% of iron ore and about 90% of coal in the country were mined here. In addition, Russia had to pay a huge indemnity.

Soviet Russia was forced to accept these difficult conditions. The head of the new Soviet delegation, Grigory Sokolnikov, read out her statement: “Under the circumstances that have arisen, Russia has no choice. By the fact of the demobilization of its troops, the Russian revolution, as it were, handed over its fate into the hands of the German people. We do not doubt for a minute that this is the triumph of imperialism and militarism over The international proletarian revolution will prove to be only temporary and coming. After these words, General Hoffmann exclaimed indignantly: "Again the same nonsense!". "We are ready," G. Sokolnikov concluded, "to immediately sign a peace treaty, refusing any discussion of it as completely useless under the existing conditions."

March 3 Brest peace treaty was signed. On the Soviet side, the agreement was signed by the deputy. People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs G.Ya.Sokolnikov, Deputy. People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs G.V. Chicherin, People's Commissar for Internal Affairs G.I. Petrovsky and Secretary of the Delegation L.M. Karakhan. Russia lost Poland, the Baltic states, Ukraine, part of Belarus... In addition, under the agreement, Russia transferred more than 90 tons of gold to Germany. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk did not last long in November, after the revolution in Germany, Soviet Russia annulled it.

Shortly after the conclusion of peace, on March 11, V. I. Lenin wrote an article. The lines of N. Nekrasov served as an epigraph to it: You are poor, You are plentiful, You are powerful, You are powerless, Mother Russia!

The head of the Council of People's Commissars wrote: "There is no need for self-deception. We must measure entirely, to the bottom, all that abyss of defeat, dismemberment, enslavement, humiliation into which we have now been pushed. The more clearly we understand this, the more firm, tempered, steel our will will become. .. our adamant determination to achieve, by all means, that Russia ceases to be miserable and powerless, so that it becomes powerful and abundant in the full sense of the word.

On the same day, fearing that the Germans, despite the conclusion of peace, would occupy Petrograd, the Soviet government moved to Moscow. So more than two centuries later, Moscow again became the capital of the Russian state.

The Brest Treaty remained in force for 3 months. After the revolution in Germany 1918–1919, the Soviet government on November 13, 1918 unilaterally annulled it.

Brest Treaty

PEACE TREATY

BETWEEN SOVIET RUSSIA, ON THE ONE PART, AND GERMANY, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY, BULGARIA AND TURKEY, ON THE OTHER PART

("BREST WORLD")

Article I

Russia, on the one hand, and Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey, on the other, declare that the state of war between them has ended. They decided to continue to live among themselves in peace and friendship.

Article II

The contracting parties will refrain from any agitation or propaganda against the government or state and military establishments of the other side. Since this obligation concerns Russia, it also extends to the areas occupied by the powers of the Quadruple Alliance.

Article III

The regions lying to the west of the line established by the contracting parties and previously belonging to Russia will no longer be under its supreme authority: the established line is indicated on the attached map ... *, which is an essential part of the present peace treaty. The exact definition of this line will be worked out by the Russian-German commission.

For the aforementioned regions, their former belonging to Russia will not entail any obligations in relation to Russia.

Russia refuses any interference in the internal affairs of these regions. Germany and Austria-Hungary intend to determine the future fate of these areas by demolition with their population.

Article IV

Germany is ready, as soon as a general peace has been concluded and a complete Russian demobilization has been carried out, to clear the territory lying to the east of the line indicated in paragraph 1 of Article III, insofar as Article VI does not decide otherwise.

Russia will do everything in its power to ensure the speedy clearance of the Eastern Anatolia provinces and their orderly return to Turkey.

The districts of Ardagan, Kars and Batum are also immediately cleared of Russian troops. Russia will not interfere in the new organization of the state-legal and international-legal relations of these districts, but will allow the population of these districts to establish a new system in agreement with neighboring states, especially Turkey.

Article V

Russia will immediately carry out the complete demobilization of its army, including the military units newly formed by the current government.

Article VI

Russia undertakes to immediately conclude peace with the Ukrainian People's Republic and recognize the peace treaty between this state and the powers of the Quadruple Alliance. The territory of Ukraine is immediately cleared of Russian troops and the Russian Red Guard. Russia ceases all agitation or propaganda against the government or public institutions of the Ukrainian People's Republic.

Estonia and Livonia are also immediately cleared of Russian troops and the Russian Red Guard. The eastern border of Estlyavdia generally runs along the Narva River. The eastern border of Liflyavdia generally runs through Lake Peipus and Lake Pskov to its southwestern corner, then through Lake Luban in the direction of Livenhof on the Western Dvina. Estlyavdia and Livonia will be occupied by the German police authorities until public security is ensured there by the country's own institutions.

Finland and the Åland Islands will also be immediately cleared of Russian troops and the Russian Red Guard, and Finnish ports from the Russian fleet and Russian naval forces.

Article IX

The contracting parties mutually waive the reimbursement of their military expenses, i.e. state costs of waging war, as well as from compensation for military losses, i.e. those losses that were inflicted on them and their citizens in the war zone by military measures, including all requisitions made in the enemy country.

Article X

Diplomatic and consular relations between the contracting parties resume immediately after the ratification of the peace treaty (...)

Article XIV

The present peace treaty will be ratified (...) the peace treaty comes into force from the moment of its ratification.

Documents of foreign policy of the USSR, vol. 1. M., 1957
Vygodsky S. Lenin's decree on peace. M., 1958
Mayorov S.M. The struggle of Soviet Russia for a way out of the imperialist war. M., 1959

Lenin called the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk "obscene", although he was a supporter of its signing. Trotsky compared his visit to Brest-Litovsk to a visit to a torture chamber.

Paradoxically, the treaty, which meant for Russia a way out of the war, became one of the most shameful and controversial pages in the history of the country.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

In 1918, a separate peace was signed between the RSFSR and the Quadruple Union.

For reference: a separate peace is a peace treaty with the enemy, signed by a member state of the military coalition without the consent of the allies.

In World War II, Russia was on the side of the Entente. But, after a few years, the country was already exhausted. Even under the Provisional Government, it became obvious that Russia would not be able to continue the war any longer.

In 1917, the Bolsheviks came to power. Their position was simple: "a world without annexations and indemnities." This slogan became the main thesis of the Decree on Peace. The authorities demanded an immediate cessation of hostilities.

Its useful to note: in November, negotiations were held on a truce with Russia's former adversaries - the Quadruple Alliance. The Entente countries ignored the invitation.

Stage one: start of negotiations

The table shows who led the delegations from the countries participating in the negotiations.

Negotiations began on 9 December. The Bolsheviks, based on the principles of the "Decree on Peace", put forward their position: the rejection of annexations and indemnities and the self-determination of peoples up to secession (by free referendum). Of course, Germany was not going to accept such conditions.

The German side stated that it would accept the conditions if the Entente countries also take such a step. The Bolsheviks initiated a 10-day break in hopes of persuading Russia's former allies to join the talks.

Soon the Germans put forward their understanding of the self-determination of peoples. Poland, Lithuania and Courland have already "self-determined" and declared their "independence", and now they can freely join Germany, which was not regarded as an annexation. In other words, the German side did not renounce its territorial claims.

The Soviet side proposed a compromise option for the exchange of territories. The German side did not accept this proposal. The Russian delegation left for Petrograd the next day.

On December 22, a delegation from the Central Rada arrived with the intention of negotiating separately from the RSFSR. Three days later, the Russian delegation returned, but already led by Trotsky himself. His goal is to delay negotiations.

Worth considering: The Central Rada is a Ukrainian political body. He was elected legally, but at the time of the negotiations, he no longer controlled almost the entire territory of Ukraine - the Bolsheviks occupied it.

Second stage: "no peace, no war"

On December 27, the Germans openly declared that they rejected the principle of "no annexations and indemnities", since the Entente did not accept it.

The head of the CR delegation expressed his position. They will negotiate separately from the RSFSR. The Central Powers put forward conditions: Germany and Austria-Hungary did not give up the territories they occupied. The Bolsheviks asked for a break for 10 days.

Lev Davidovich Trotsky (1879-1940) - one of the organizers of the October Revolution of 1917, one of the founders of the Red Army. In the first Soviet government - People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs, then in 1918-1925 - People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs and Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the RSFSR.

In Petrograd, this course of events provoked an aggravation of the intra-Party struggle. In the end, Trotsky's vague position of "no peace, no war" won out.

Third stage: ultimatum

On January 17, together with Trotsky, a delegation from Soviet Ukraine arrived for the talks. The German side did not recognize her.

January 27 is a turning point in the negotiations. The Central Powers and the CR made peace. Ukraine passed under the protectorate of Germany.

Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Victor Albert of Prussia (1859-1941) - the last German emperor and king of Prussia from June 15, 1888 to November 9, 1918. Wilhelm's reign was marked by the strengthening of Germany's role as a world industrial, military and colonial power.

Wilhelm II put forward an ultimatum to the Soviet side - the border along the Narva-Pskov-Dvinsk line.

The next day, Trotsky surprised Germany and her allies with his statement: cessation of hostilities, demobilization, while refusing to sign peace. The delegation left the negotiations. What happened, Germany would later take advantage of.

January 31 The CR asks its German allies for help against the Bolsheviks. On February 18, the truce ends.

Russia no longer had an army as such, and the Bolsheviks could not resist the offensive. The Germans advanced quickly and captured Minsk on 21 February. It was a real threat to Petrograd.

The Soviet side was forced to ask for peace. On February 22, the Germans put forward a tougher ultimatum, according to which Russia abandoned vast territories.

The Bolsheviks agreed to such conditions. On March 3, 1918, peace was signed. March 16 - final ratification.

What were the conditions of the Brest peace

Lenin admitted that such a world is "obscene". Germany's demands were tough, but Russia did not have the opportunity to fight. The position of the Germans allowed them to dictate any conditions.

Briefly about the main provisions of the Brest peace:

liberate the Baltic lands;
withdraw troops from Ukraine, recognize the UNR;
liberate the Kars and Batumi regions;
withdraw troops from the Ottoman Empire.

The text included other provisions:

demobilization of the army;
disarmament of the Black Sea Fleet;
the cessation of propaganda on the territory of the Central Powers;
payment of indemnities.

Russia was finally left without an army (imperial) and lost territories.

Position of Lenin, Trotsky and Bukharin

Petrograd did not have an unequivocal position on a separate peace. Lenin insisted on signing an agreement, albeit unfavorable. However, the left communists, led by Bukharin, were categorically against any peace with imperialism.

When it became obvious that Germany would not renounce annexations, Trotsky's compromise position was taken as the basis. He was against military action, but he counted on an early revolution in Germany, which would save the Bolsheviks from having to agree to unfavorable conditions for them.

Lenin insisted that it was Trotsky who led the delegation. But with the condition: delay until the ultimatum, then surrender. However, the delegates rejected the ultimatum, and this became a formal reason for the Central Powers to reopen the Eastern Front.

The German army advanced rapidly, and Lenin insisted on accepting any conditions of the opponents.

The question arises: why did Lenin call the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk shameful, but insisted on signing it further? The answer is simple - the leader of the revolution was afraid of losing power. Without an army, Russia could not resist the Germans.

The position of the left had more supporters, and only the intervention of Trotsky saved Lenin from failure. As a result, the Bolsheviks signed the treaty.

Reasons and prerequisites for the signing of the Brest Peace

Was there really any reason to negotiate with the clearly losing war Central Powers? And why did Germany need it?

The Bolsheviks came under the slogan of ending the war. BUT the country really could not fight(It is worth noting that the policy of the Bolsheviks contributed to the fact that Russia was left without an army).

Initially, Lenin counted on a general peace without annexations, and not on an unfavorable treaty with Germany, which had almost lost the war.

Since the beginning of the war, the Germans were interested in closing the Eastern Front. Germany and Austria-Hungary were starving and urgently needed food supplies. No wonder it was the agreement with the UCR that became a turning point in the course of negotiations.

Russia's withdrawal from the First World War

The signing of a separate peace meant that Russia withdrew from the war. This event had its pros and cons, but it can not be called a victory.

On the one hand, the war still stopped. On the other hand, Russia has lost most of its territory and population.

The country also could not take advantage of the victory of the Entente. England and France did not accept the Bolshevik regime, and the treaty with Germany all the more deprived the country of the right to reparations.

The conclusion of the Brest Peace

On March 1, the Russian delegation arrived in Brest-Litovsk (the German offensive was still ongoing).

Trotsky did not want to sign the shameful document. His views were shared by other Bolsheviks.

Who signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on behalf of Russia? Grigory Sokolnikov, who at first also refused to be the chairman of the delegation.

The Soviet side immediately declared that the country was accepting the conditions of its opponents, but would not enter into a discussion. The German side objected that they could either accept Germany's conditions or continue the war.

On March 3, 1918, the famous Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was concluded. This happened in the White Palace of the Brest-Litovsk Fortress.

The document consisted of 14 articles, 5 annexes (including a new map of Russia's borders) and additional treaties.

Outcomes, meaning and results

The separate peace was a heavy blow for Russia.

However, Germany lost the war, and one of the conditions for a truce with the Entente was the annulment of the Brest Treaty. On November 13, the agreement was also canceled by the decision of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.

Brest peace until today receives an ambiguous description of historians. Some consider it a betrayal, others a necessity. In general, modern estimates come down to one thing: the negotiations were the debut of the Bolsheviks in the international arena, but such a debut ended in failure.

Of course, the consequences were not so catastrophic for the new government: they still managed to return the lands, but it took time. And peace with the Central Powers will be used as proof of Lenin's sponsorship by the Germans for a long time to come.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk*

Since Russia, on the one hand, and Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey, on the other, agreed to end the state of war and end the peace negotiations as soon as possible, they were appointed plenipotentiaries:

For the Russian Federative Soviet Republic:

Grigory Yakovlevich Sokolnikov, member of the Center. Performed K-ta Soviet Rab., Sold. and Cross. deputies,

Lev Mikhailovich Karakhan, member of the Center. Performed K-ta Soviet Rab., Sold. and Cross. deputies,

Georgy Vasilyevich Chicherin, Assistant to the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs and

Grigory Ivanovich Petrovsky, People's Commissar for Internal Affairs.

From the Imperial German Government: Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Imperial Privy Councilor Richard von Kühlmann,

Imperial Envoy and Minister Plenipotentiary, Dr. von Rosenberg,

Royal Prussian Major General Hoffmann, Chief of the General Staff of the Supreme Commander on the Eastern Front and

captain 1st rank Gorn.

From the Imperial and Royal General Austro-Hungarian Government:

Minister of the Imperial and Royal Household and Foreign Affairs, His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty Privy Councilor Ottokar Count Czernin von i zu-Khudenitz, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty Privy Councilor Mr. Cajetan Merey von Kapos Mere, General of Infantry, His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty, Privy Councilor Mr. Maximilian Cicerich von Bachani.

From the Royal Bulgarian Government:

Royal Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in Vienna, Andrei Toshev, Colonel of the General Staff, Royal Bulgarian Military Commissioner to His Majesty the German Emperor and Adjutant Wing of His Majesty the King of Bulgaria, Petr Ganchev, Royal Bulgarian First Secretary of the Mission, Dr. Teodor Anastasov.

From the Imperial Ottoman Government:

His Highness Ibrahim Hakki Pasha, Former Grand Vizier, Member of the Ottoman Senate, Ambassador Plenipotentiary of His Majesty the Sultan in Berlin, His Excellency General of the Cavalry, Adjutant General of His Majesty the Sultan and Military Plenipotentiary of His Majesty the Sultan to His Majesty the German Emperor, Zeki- Pasha.

The Plenipotentiaries met at Brest-Litovsk for peace talks, and after presenting their credentials, found to be in correct and proper form, came to an agreement on the following resolutions:

Russia, on the one hand, and Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey, on the other, declare that the state of war between them has ended; they decided to continue to live among themselves in peace and friendship.

The contracting parties will refrain from any agitation or propaganda against the government or state or military establishments of the other side. Since this obligation concerns Russia, it also extends to the areas occupied by the powers of the Quadruple Alliance.

The regions lying to the west of the line established by the contracting parties and formerly belonging to Russia will no longer be under her supreme authority; the established line is indicated on the attached map (Appendix 1)**, which is an essential part of this peace treaty. The exact definition of this line will be worked out by the Russian-German commission.

For the aforementioned regions, their former belonging to Russia will not entail any obligations in relation to Russia.

Russia refuses any interference in the internal affairs of these regions. Germany and Austria-Hungary intend to determine the future fate of these areas by demolition with their population.

Germany is ready, as soon as a general peace is concluded and a completely Russian demobilization is carried out, to clear the territory lying to the east of that indicated in paragraph 1 of Art. 3 lines, as Article 6 does not provide otherwise. Russia will do everything in its power to ensure the speedy clearance of the Eastern Anatolia provinces and their orderly return to Turkey.

Russia will immediately carry out the complete demobilization of its army, including the military units newly formed by the current government.

In addition, Russia will either transfer its warships to Russian ports and leave them there until the conclusion of a general peace, or immediately disarm them. The military courts of the states that are still at war with the powers of the Quadruple Union, since these ships are in the sphere of Russian power, are equated with Russian military courts.

The restricted zone in the Arctic Ocean remains in force until the conclusion of a universal peace. In the Baltic Sea and in the parts of the Black Sea subject to Russia, the removal of minefields must begin immediately. Merchant shipping in these maritime regions is free and immediately resumed. In order to work out more precise regulations, in particular for the publication to the public of safe routes for merchant ships, mixed commissions will be created. Navigation routes must be kept clear of floating mines at all times.

Russia undertakes to immediately conclude peace with the Ukrainian People's Republic and recognize the peace treaty between this state and the powers of the Quadruple Union. The territory of Ukraine is immediately cleared of Russian troops and the Russian Red Guard. Russia ceases all agitation or propaganda against the government or public institutions of the Ukrainian People's Republic.

Estonia and Livonia are also immediately cleared of Russian troops and the Russian Red Guard. The eastern border of Estonia passes, in general, along the river. Narova. The eastern border of Livonia passes, in general, through Lake Peipus and Lake Pskov to its southwestern corner, then through Lake Luban in the direction of Livenhof on the Western Dvina. Estland and Livonia will be occupied by the German police authorities until public security is ensured there by the country's own institutions and until state order is established there. Russia will immediately release all arrested or taken away inhabitants of Estonia and Livonia and ensure the safe return of all taken away Estonians and Livonians.

Finland and the Åland Islands will also be immediately cleared of Russian troops and the Russian Red Guard, and Finnish ports from the Russian fleet and Russian naval forces. As long as the ice makes it impossible to transfer warships to Russian ports, only insignificant crews should be left on them. Russia stops all agitation or propaganda against the Finnish government or public institutions.

The fortifications erected on the Åland Islands must be demolished as soon as possible. As regards the prohibition to continue erecting fortifications on these islands, as well as their general provisions regarding military and navigation technology, a special agreement should be concluded regarding them between Germany, Finland, Russia and Sweden; The parties agree that, at the request of Germany, other states adjacent to the Baltic Sea may also be involved in this agreement.

Based on the fact that Persia and Afghanistan are free and independent states, the contracting parties undertake to respect the political and economic independence and territorial integrity of Persia and Afghanistan.

The prisoners of war of both sides will be released to their homeland. The settlement of related issues will be the subject of special agreements provided for in Art. 12.

The contracting parties mutually waive the reimbursement of their military expenses, i.e., state costs of waging war, as well as from compensation for military losses, i.e. from those losses that were inflicted on them and their citizens in the war zone by military measures, including all requisitions made in the enemy country.

Article 10

Diplomatic and consular relations between the contracting parties will resume immediately after the ratification of the peace treaty. Regarding the admission of consuls, both parties reserve the right to enter into special agreements.

Article 11

Economic relations between Russia and the powers of the Quadruple Union are determined by the decrees contained in Appendices 2-5, with Appendix 2 defining the relationship between Russia and Germany, Appendix 3 between Russia and Austria-Hungary, Appendix 4 between Russia and Bulgaria, annex 5 -- between Russia and Turkey.

Article 12

The restoration of public law and private law relations, the exchange of prisoners of war and civilian prisoners, the question of amnesty, as well as the question of the attitude towards merchant ships that have fallen into the power of the enemy, are the subject of separate agreements with Russia, which form an essential part of this peace treaty and , as far as possible, take effect simultaneously with it.

Article 13

When interpreting this Treaty, the authentic texts are for relations between Russia and Germany - Russian and German, between Russia and Austria-Hungary - Russian, German and Hungarian, between Russia and Bulgaria - Russian and Bulgarian, between Russia and Turkey - Russian and Turkish.

Article 14

The present peace treaty will be ratified. The exchange of instruments of ratification should take place as soon as possible in Berlin. The Russian government assumes the obligation to exchange instruments of ratification at the request of one of the powers of the Quadruple Union within a two-week period.

A peace treaty enters into force from the moment of its ratification, unless otherwise follows from its articles, annexes to it or supplementary treaties.

In witness thereof, the commissioners have personally signed this treaty.

Authentic in five copies.

Annex 2

Peace terms proposed by Germany on February 21, 1918 in response to the Soviet government's message of agreement to sign peace

"Germany is ready to resume negotiations and conclude peace with Russia on the following terms:

1. Germany and Russia declare an end to the state of war. Both peoples are ready to continue to live in peace and friendship.

2. The regions lying to the west of the line reported by the Russian plenipotentiary in Brest-Litovsk and formerly part of the Russian Empire are no longer subject to the territorial sovereignty of Russia. In the region of Dvinsk, this line extends to the eastern border of Courland. From the fact that these regions belonged to the Russian Empire, no obligations arise for them in relation to Russia. Russia refuses any interference in the internal life of these regions. Germany and Austria-Hungary intend to determine the future fate of these areas in agreement with their population. Germany is ready immediately, upon the conclusion of a general peace and the complete completion of Russian demobilization, to clear the area lying to the east of the indicated line, since from Art. 3 does not imply anything else.

3. Livonia and Estonia are immediately cleared of Russian troops and Red Guards and occupied by German police troops until the local authorities are able to guarantee peace and order is restored. All political arrests from local citizens are immediately released.

4. Russia immediately makes peace with the Ukrainian People's Republic. Ukraine and Finland are cleared of Russian troops and the Red Guard without delay.

5. Russia, by all means at its disposal, will contribute to the speedy and planned return of Turkey to its Anatolian provinces and recognizes the cancellation of Turkish capitulations.

6a). The complete demobilization of the Russian armies, including the units newly formed by the current government, must be carried out immediately.

6b). Russian warships in the Black Sea, in the Baltic Sea and in the Arctic Ocean must either be transferred to Russian ports, where they must be interned until the conclusion of a general peace, or must be immediately disarmed. Military vessels of the Entente, located in the sphere of influence of Russia, are considered as Russian.

6c). Merchant navigation in the Black and Baltic Seas is immediately restored, as was provided for in the armistice agreement. The necessary clearance of mines begins immediately. The blockade in the Arctic Ocean remains until the conclusion of a general peace.

7. The German-Russian trade agreement of 1904 comes into force again, as provided for in Article 7 (paragraph 2) of the peace treaty with Ukraine, and the special favor provided for in Article 11 (paragraph 3, paragraph 1) of the trade agreement is excluded in relation to the eastern countries; further, the entire first part of the final protocol is restored. To this are added: guarantees of free export and the right of duty-free export of ore; early start of negotiations on the conclusion of a new trade agreement; a guarantee of the most favored nation, at least until the end of 1925, even in the event of a declaration of termination of the temporary treaty, and, finally, the conditions corresponding to Article 7, paragraphs 3 and 4 (paragraph 1) and paragraph 5 of the peace treaty with Ukraine.

8. Issues of a legal nature are regulated in accordance with the decisions of the Russian-German legal commission adopted in the first reading; since no decisions were made, the proposals from the German side come into force regarding compensation for the losses of individuals, and the Russian proposal regarding compensation for the maintenance of prisoners of war. Russia will allow and will, to the best of its ability, support the activities of the German commissions, in the sense of caring for German prisoners of war, civilian prisoners and migrants.

9. Russia undertakes to cease all official or official-supported agitation or propaganda against the Allied governments and their state and military institutions, also in the areas occupied by the Central Powers.

10. The above conditions must be accepted within 48 hours. Russian representatives must immediately go to Brest-Litovsk and there sign a peace treaty within three days, which is subject to ratification no later than two weeks later.

The Brest peace is one of the most humiliating episodes in the history of Russia. It became a resounding diplomatic failure of the Bolsheviks and was accompanied by an acute political crisis within the country.

Peace Decree

The "Peace Decree" was adopted on October 26, 1917 - the day after the armed coup - and spoke of the need to conclude a just democratic peace without annexations and indemnities between all warring peoples. It served as the legal basis for a separate agreement with Germany and the other Central Powers.

Publicly, Lenin spoke about the transformation of the imperialist war into a civil war, he considered the revolution in Russia only the initial stage of the world socialist revolution. In fact, there were other reasons as well. The warring peoples did not act according to Ilyich's plans - they did not want to turn bayonets against the governments, and the allied governments ignored the peace proposal of the Bolsheviks. Only the countries of the enemy bloc that were losing the war went for rapprochement.

Conditions

Germany declared that it was ready to accept the condition of peace without annexations and indemnities, but only if this peace was signed by all the belligerent countries. But none of the Entente countries joined the peace negotiations, so Germany abandoned the Bolshevik formula, and their hopes for a just peace were finally buried. The talk in the second round of negotiations was exclusively about a separate peace, the terms of which were dictated by Germany.

Betrayal and necessity

Not all Bolsheviks were willing to sign a separate peace. The left was categorically opposed to any agreements with imperialism. They defended the idea of exporting the revolution, believing that without socialism in Europe, Russian socialism is doomed to perish (and the subsequent transformations of the Bolshevik regime proved them right). The leaders of the left Bolsheviks were Bukharin, Uritsky, Radek, Dzerzhinsky and others. They called for a guerrilla war against German imperialism, and in the future they hoped to conduct regular military operations with the forces of the Red Army being created.

For the immediate conclusion of a separate peace was, above all, Lenin. He was afraid of the German offensive and the complete loss of his own power, which, even after the coup, was largely based on German money. It is unlikely that the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was directly bought by Berlin. The main factor was precisely the fear of losing power. Considering that a year after the conclusion of peace with Germany, Lenin was ready even for the division of Russia in exchange for international recognition, then the terms of the Brest Peace would seem not so humiliating.

Trotsky occupied an intermediate position in the inner-party struggle. He defended the thesis "No peace, no war." That is, he proposed to stop hostilities, but not to sign any agreements with Germany. As a result of the struggle within the party, it was decided to drag out the negotiations in every possible way, waiting for a revolution in Germany, but if the Germans present an ultimatum, then agree to all conditions. However, Trotsky, who led the Soviet delegation in the second round of negotiations, refused to accept the German ultimatum. Negotiations broke down and Germany continued to advance. When the peace was signed, the Germans were 170 km from Petrograd.

Annexations and indemnities

Peace conditions were very difficult for Russia. She lost Ukraine and Polish lands, renounced her claims to Finland, gave away the Batumi and Kars regions, had to demobilize all her troops, abandon the Black Sea Fleet and pay huge indemnities. The country was losing almost 800 thousand square meters. km and 56 million people. In Russia, the Germans received the exclusive right to freely engage in entrepreneurship. In addition, the Bolsheviks pledged to pay the royal debts of Germany and its allies.

At the same time, the Germans did not comply with their own obligations. After signing the treaty, they continued the occupation of Ukraine, overthrew the Soviet regime on the Don and helped the White movement in every possible way.

Rise of the Left

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk almost led to a split in the Bolshevik Party and the loss of power by the Bolsheviks. Lenin hardly dragged the final decision on peace through a vote in the Central Committee, threatening to resign. The split of the party did not happen only thanks to Trotsky, who agreed to abstain from the vote, ensuring the victory of Lenin. But this did not help to avoid a political crisis.

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