The Revolutionary Exit of Russia from the First World War and Germany

The article examines the problem of Russia's revolutionary withdrawal from the First World War in the context of Soviet-German relations in 1918. This problem is assessed differently in Russian and German historiography. However, historians agree that the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was Soviet Russia’s attempt at a revolutionary exit from the First World War. The peace Treaty between Soviet Russia on the one hand, and Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria on the other, signed on March 3, 1918 in Brest-Litovsk, legally secured the collapse of old Russia and the formation of "independent states" on its territory. Soviet Russia, as well as Imperial Germany and its allies recognized the independence of Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland. At the same time, the German and Austro- Hungarian armies occupied the Baltic States, Belarus, Ukraine and part of Russia. Thus, Germany, while losing the First World War in the West, actually won it in the East. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk became the proof of that. Instead of a universal democratic world without annexation and indemnity, the desire for which was declared by the Bolsheviks, it turned out to be a forced separate peace, "predatory" and "obscene". Peace with the Bolsheviks and the elimination of the Eastern front allowed Germany to continue the war in the West for another six months. However, the revolution in Germany, the death of the German Empire and the break of the Brest Treaty were echos of the 1917 Revolution in Russia. On November 13, 1918, Soviet Russia annulled the Treaty and its additional agreements. These documents were also repealed by article 116 of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919.

Keywords

«The Decree on Peace», the Brest Peace Treaty, Germany's plans for Russia's relations, «The Russian-German Supplementary Treaty to the Peace Treaty concluded between Russia on the one hand, and Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey on the other», secret additional Agreement on the Brest-Litovsk Treaty of August 27, 1918.

Received

29.01.2020

Publication date

27.03.2020

Number of characters

27683

Cite

GOST	Khavkin B. The Revolutionary Exit of Russia from the First World War and Germany // Novaia i noveishaia istoriia – 2020. – Issue 2 C. 96-107 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://nni.jes.su/S013038640008654-7-1 (circulation date: 26.04.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S013038640008654-7
MLA	Khavkin, Boris "The Revolutionary Exit of Russia from the First World War and Germany." Novaia i noveishaia istoriia 2 (2020):96-107. DOI: 10.31857/S013038640008654-7
APA	Khavkin B. (2020). The Revolutionary Exit of Russia from the First World War and Germany. Novaia i noveishaia istoriia (2), pp.96-107 DOI: 10.31857/S013038640008654-7

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