Soviet Russia, on the one hand, Germany, Bulgaria, Turkey and Austria-Hungary, on the other, concluded an agreement in 1918. The position of many powers depended on the conditions of the Brest-Litovsk peace.
Previous events
The conditions of the Brest Peace of 1918 were discussed several times and were drawn up in three stages. Most of the attention at the meetings was paid to the Armenian issue. Soviet Russia put forward a number of conditions, but Germany and its allies rejected such a Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The date of the negotiations on the conclusion of the treaty in Brest-Litovsk is December 9, 1917. Here was the headquarters of the German command. The Soviet side tried to avoid indemnities and annexations in the coming world.
The position of the Soviet leadership
The Soviet delegation developed a program that it adhered to during the negotiations. The integrity of Russia and the position of its inhabitants depended on the conditions of the Brest Peace. Program highlights:
- Escapeforced annexations of occupied lands during the fighting.
- Restoration of the full political independence of the peoples who lost it during the war.
- Ability to avoid contributions.
- Introduction of autonomy for national minorities subject to certain conditions.
- Giving national groups the right to choose a country or create their own state independence.
- Colonial issues are resolved according to the above principles.
- Preserving the rights and freedoms of weaker nations.
The Soviet leadership planned to delay the peace negotiations as long as possible, secretly hoping for a weakening of Germany due to internal revolution. On January 28, 1918, an ultimatum was presented to Russia. Germany demanded the signing of the treaty on terms that entailed the secession of Poland, the B altic States and Belarus.
Russia's predicament
Germany's demands were outrageous. On the one hand, Russia could not agree to the signing of such a humiliating treaty for it, and it would be better to start a war than to agree to such conditions. But the resources for warfare were not enough. The power of Russia depended on the conditions of the Brest Peace. Leon Trotsky, along with other Bolsheviks, tried to find a way out of this situation. And so the country's leadership came to a decision that seemed to him the best. On January 28, the head of the Soviet delegation delivered a speech that led to the following: peacewill not be signed, but Russia will not declare the beginning of the war either. Leon Trotsky announced the withdrawal of the people and troops from the war.
This decision shocked German and Austrian diplomats. They didn't expect this turn of events. On February 18, the attack of the Austro-Hungarian troops began. The Red Army was disbanded, there was no one to resist the enemy. As a result, Pskov and Narva were occupied. Some regiments that were in their positions at that time retreated without a fight. Russia no longer had to discuss what the terms of the Brest-Litovsk peace were. On February 19, the German demands were accepted by the Soviet side.
Germany, realizing the hopelessness of the situation in Russia, now demanded much more territories (five times), which contained almost the entire supply of coal and iron ore of the country and was home to 50 million people. Also, the Soviet side was obliged to pay a large indemnity. The new Russian delegation was headed by Grigory Sokolnikov. He stated that there is no choice in this situation and it will not be possible to avoid signing a peace treaty. He also expressed hope that the current state of affairs is temporary.
Conditions of the Brest peace - briefly
- Rejection of the provinces, in which Belarusians prevailed among the local residents.
- Recognition of Ukraine's independence.
- Departure of the Vistula provinces, Estland, Livonia, Courland, the Grand Duchy of Finland.
- Department of the Caucasian regions - Batumi and Kars.
- Making peace with the UNR.
- Demobilization of the fleet and army.
- Departure of the B altic Fleet from the Finnish and B altic bases.
- Payment of 500 million gold rubles and 6 billion marks.
- The B altic Fleet was leaving bases in Finland and the B altics.
- Stop revolutionary propaganda.
- The Black Sea Fleet retreated to the Central Powers.
Consequences
So the Brest peace was concluded. The date of its signing is March 3, 1918. Ukraine, Poland, the B altic States and part of Belarus were separated from Russia. Also, the Soviet side paid Germany more than 90 tons of gold. The Germans, pretending that they want to ensure the power of the legitimate government of Ukraine, began the occupation of its territory. At this time, the uprisings of the Left SRs rise, and the civil war takes the form of a large-scale battle. The opposition sharply criticized Lenin's statement that Russia had no choice but to accept the terms of the treaty. The army was destroyed. The consequences of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk showed that opposition supporters called for popular uprisings in order to suppress the German-Austrian troops. The Entente states opposed the signed peace. From March to August 1918, British and Japanese troops land in Murmansk, Vladivostok, Arkhangelsk.
The end of the Brest peace
Brest peace was not destined to act for long. On November 13, after defeating the Austro-German forces (thanks to their allies), Russia canceled it. In a daycancellation, the Soviet leadership moves to Moscow, fearing a German attack on Petrograd. After the cancellation of the treaty, the territorial concessions made were considered invalid. The Soviet leadership left the inhabitants of the Caucasus and other secluded regions to choose their own fate. Earlier, on September 20, 1918, part of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was broken in relation to Turkey. It is worth saying that the consequences of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk strengthen Lenin's authority. The Bolsheviks began to show even more confidence in him. After the end of the Civil War in 1922, Soviet power was established in most of Russia.
