The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, March 1918

What was the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty?

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk ended Russia's role in the First World War. The treaty was signed at German-controlled Brest-Litovsk after two months of negotiations.

When was the Brest-Litovsk treaty signed?

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed on 3rd March, 1918.

Who signed the Brest-Litovsk Treaty?

The treaty was between the new Bolshevik government of Russia and the Central Powers - the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire.

Where was the Brest-Litovsk Treaty signed?

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed at the German Army's headquarters in Brest-Litovsk, which at that time was part of Poland. It is in modern Belarus.

Why did the Bolsheviks agree to sign the Brest-Litovsk Treaty?

There were 6 main reasons why the Bolsheviks agreed to sign the treaty:

• ❖ They had staked everything, and won all their support, on the promise of immediate withdrawal from the war.
• ❖ The Bolsheviks agreed to sign because they needed a swift end to war; Russia was not able to defeat Germany.
• ❖ If Russia lost the war, it would mean the end of the Bolshevik revolution.
• ❖ They believed Germany and the rest of Europe would also have communist revolutions, which would result in the treaty being overturned.
• ❖ Their priority was dealing with opposition to the Bolshevik revolution inside Russia, and they feared a civil war would begin.
• ❖ They could not afford to fight Germany and a civil war at the same time.

What was the outcome of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty?

There were 3 main terms of the treaty.

• ❖ Russia lost Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Georgia, and parts of Poland from its empire - this was more than a quarter of its farmland and railroads.
• ❖ It lost 26% of its population, or 62 million people.
• ❖ Germany imposed reparations, or compensation, of 300 million roubles.

What was the impact of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on Russia and the Bolshevik Party?

There were 4 main effects of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on Russia and the Bolshevik Party:

• ❖ It was considered a humiliation so people were furious with the Bolshevik Party for signing it.
• ❖ The land that Russia lost to Germany was some of the best farmland it had, so food shortages worsened.
• ❖ This led to mass migration of people from the towns and cities to the countryside in the search for food.
• ❖ Many right-wing people and tsarists were so horrified by the treaty that they were even more determined to oppose the Bolsheviks. This led to the civil war.