Soviet Russia, on the one hand, Germany, Bulgaria, Turkey and Austria-Hungary, on the other, entered into an agreement in 1918. The situation of many powers depended on what the conditions of the Brest Peace were.
Previous events
The conditions of the Brest Peace of 1918 were discussed several times and compiled in three stages. Most of the meetings paid attention to the Armenian issue. Soviet Russia put forward a number of conditions, but Germany and its allies rejected such a Brest peace. The date of negotiations on the conclusion of an agreement in Brest-Litovsk is 1917, December 9. 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 the program that it adhered to during the negotiations. The integrity of Russia and the situation of its inhabitants depended on what the conditions of the Brest Peace were. The main points of the program:
- The ability to avoid forced annexation of captured lands during hostilities.
- The restoration of the full political independence of the peoples who lost it during the war.
- The ability to avoid indemnities.
- The introduction of autonomy of national minorities subject to a certain number of conditions.
- Empowering national groups with the right to choose a country or create their own state independence.
- Colonial issues are resolved according to the above principles.
- Preservation of the rights and freedoms of weaker nations.
The Soviet leadership planned to drag out peace negotiations as long as possible, secretly hoping for a weakening of Germany as a result of the internal revolution. On January 28, 1918, an ultimatum was presented to Russia. Germany demanded the signing of an agreement on such conditions that entailed the separation of Poland, the Baltic states and Belarus.
The predicament of Russia
Germany's demands were outrageous. On the one hand, Russia could not agree to sign such a derogatory treaty for it, and it would be more likely to start a war than to agree to such conditions. But the resources for warfare were not enough. The power of Russia depended on what the conditions of the Brest Peace were. 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: the world will not be signed, but Russia will not declare the beginning of the war. Leon Trotsky announced the withdrawal of the people and troops from the war.
This decision shocked German and Austrian diplomats. They did not expect such a turn of events. On February 18, an attack by the Austro-Hungarian forces began. The Red Army was disbanded; there was no one to confront the enemy. As a result, Pskov and Narva were occupied. Some regiment, which were at that time in their positions, retreated without a fight. Russia no longer had to discuss what were the conditions of the Brest Peace. On February 19, German demands were accepted by the Soviet side.
Germany, realizing the hopelessness of the situation in Russia, now demanded much more territories (five times), on which there was almost the entire coal and iron ore reserve of the country and 50 million people lived. The Soviet side also pledged to pay a large contribution. The new Russian delegation was led by Grigory Sokolnikov. He said that there is no choice in this situation and it will not be possible to avoid signing a peace treaty. He also expressed the hope that the current state of affairs is temporary.
Brest Peace Conditions - briefly
- The rejection of provinces in which Belarusians prevailed among local residents.
- Recognition of the independence of Ukraine.
- Departure of the Privislyansk provinces, Estland, Livonia, Courland, Grand Duchy of Finland.
- Department of the Caucasian regions - Batumi and Kara.
- The conclusion of peace with the UPR.
- Demobilization of the fleet and the army.
- Departure of the Baltic Fleet from the Finnish and Baltic bases.
- Payment in the amount of 500 million gold rubles and 6 billion marks.
- The Baltic Fleet left bases in Finland and the Baltic.
- The cessation of revolutionary propaganda.
- The Black Sea Fleet was retreating to the Central Powers.
Effects
So the Brest Peace was concluded. The date of its signing is March 3, 1918. Ukraine, Poland, the Baltic states and part of Belarus were disconnected from Russia. The Soviet side also 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 Socialist Revolutionaries rise , and the civil war takes the form of a large-scale battle. The opposition sharply criticized Lenin's statement that Russia had no other choice but to accept the terms of the agreement. The army was ruined. The aftermath of the Brest Peace showed that opposition supporters called for popular uprisings to suppress German-Austrian forces. Entente states opposed the signed peace. From March to August 1918, the British and Japanese troops landed in Murmansk, Vladivostok, and Arkhangelsk.
The end of the Brest peace
The Brest peace was not destined to act for a long time. On November 13, after defeating the Austro-German forces (thanks to its allies), Russia canceled it. On the day of cancellation, the Soviet leadership moved to Moscow, fearing a German attack on Petrograd. After the cancellation of the contract, the territorial concessions made became invalid. The Soviet leadership allowed the inhabitants of the Caucasus and other torn regions to choose their own destiny. Earlier, on September 20, 1918, a part of the Brest Peace was torn against Turkey.
It is worth saying that the consequences of the Brest Peace strengthen the authority of Lenin. The Bolsheviks began to show even greater confidence in him. At the end of the Civil War in 1922, Soviet power was established in most of Russia .