17.5.2

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

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The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

As Commissar for War, Trotsky’s role was to negotiate Russia’s exit from the First World War.

Background

Background

  • Trotsky wanted to end the fighting but did not want to surrender given the pressure the Germans were putting on the Russians.
    • The capital was moved to Moscow as the Germans got closer to Petrograd.
  • Wanting to continue the war against the Bolsheviks’ wishes, the Left SRs walked out of the government.
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

  • In March 1918, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed, making peace with Germany.
  • Russia lost Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Georgia, and parts of Poland.
  • It also lost huge amounts of industrial areas.
  • Germany imposed reparations (fines) of 300 million Russian rubles.
Why did the Bolsheviks agree?

Why did the Bolsheviks agree?

  • The Bolsheviks agreed to this because they needed a quick end to the war to give them space to set up their own system of rule in Russia.
    • They also needed to concentrate on dealing with the enormous amount of internal opposition they faced.
  • The Bolsheviks did not believe the treaty would last long, as they predicted that revolutions would be sparked across Europe.
A humiliation

A humiliation

  • In fact, the treaty was extremely humiliating for Russia and provided fuel for the Bolsheviks’ enemies who felt the government needed to be overthrown in order to restore Russian greatness.
  • The nationalists were particularly offended at Russia's humiliation.
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