The treaty of Brest Litovsk 1918

The treaty of Brest Litovsk 1918

1. Terms of the treaty

   • large amount of territory ceded to Germany
     • 1/3 of European Russia
     • Ukraine: Russia's grain source
     • territory lost: population of 45 million
   • 3 billion roubles in war reparations paid to Germany

2. Divergent attitudes among Bolsheviks regarding war

   • LENIN: wanted an immediate peace
     • Russia was militarily exhausted. also, whether germany won/lost it would not really matter to Russia, either way it would not be worse off
     • wanted the financial support from Germany to continue
   • TROTSKY: 'neither peace nor war' wanted to bbuy time
     • German armies would collapse
     • Revolution could start in Germany
     • TACTICS: disruptive, uncooperative
       • yawn/ interrupt whilst others were speaking
       • infuriate German representatives
       • launch into revolutionary speeches

3. Trotsky and Lenin were international revolutionaries, they had limited loyalty to Russia as a nation

   • terms of treaty were harsh to Russia

4. Reactions to the treaty

   • from the Bolsheviks
     • Trotsky: German 'diktat'
     • Lenin
       • emphasised the exhaustion of Russian troops
         • 'Russia can offer no physical resistance beacuse she is materially exhausted by three years of war'
       • claimed that Russia would soon be in a position to reclaim its territories as in the aftermath of war, conflict would arise between capitalist powers
   • The Left-Communists
     • condemned signing of treaty
       • only agreed when Lenin persuaded them that party unity was vital in a time of crisis.

5. the outcome of the treaty

   • August 1918: collapse of Germany's Western front/total withdrawal of German forces from Russia
     • proved Lenin right- strengthened his hold over the party