Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Signed on 3 March 1918, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk took Soviet Russia out of the war on devastating terms: Russia surrendered Poland, Lithuania, Courland, Ukraine, Finland, and the Baltic provinces — a third of the old empire's population, half its industry, and ninety per cent of its coal mines. Lenin forced the treaty through against fierce opposition within his own party, arguing that the revolution's survival required peace at any price and that the settlement would be overturned by the coming European revolution. For Germany, the treaty was the prize of three years of eastern warfare: it seemed to vindicate the war effort, opened Ukrainian grain to the blockaded Central Powers, and freed roughly a million soldiers for a final gamble in the west. Yet the gains proved illusory — occupying the vast east still consumed German divisions, and the treaty's nakedly annexationist character undercut Germany's claim to be fighting a defensive war, stiffening Allied resolve. The treaty was annulled by the Armistice eight months later.
- Year: 1918 CE
- Category: Diplomatic
