And the signing of the Brest Peace Treaty. Treaty of Brest-Litovsk - conditions, reasons, significance of signing the peace treaty

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk is one of the most humiliating episodes in Russian history. It became a resounding diplomatic failure for the Bolsheviks and was accompanied by an acute political crisis within the country.

Peace Decree

The “Decree on Peace” was adopted on October 26, 1917 - the day after the armed coup - and spoke of the need to conclude a just democratic peace without annexations and indemnities between all warring peoples. It served as the legal basis for concluding a separate agreement with Germany and the other Central Powers.

Publicly, Lenin spoke about the transformation of the imperialist war into a civil war; he considered the revolution in Russia only the initial stage of the world socialist revolution. In fact, there were other reasons. The warring peoples did not act according to Ilyich’s plans - they did not want to turn their bayonets against the governments, and the allied governments ignored the peace proposal of the Bolsheviks. Only the countries of the enemy bloc that were losing the war agreed to rapprochement.

Conditions

Germany stated that it was ready to accept a condition of peace without annexations and indemnities, but only if this peace was signed by all the warring countries. But none of the Entente countries joined the peace negotiations, so Germany abandoned the Bolshevik formula, and their hopes for a just peace were finally buried. The talk in the second round of negotiations was exclusively about a separate peace, the terms of which were dictated by Germany.

Betrayal and necessity

Lenin was, first of all, in favor of the immediate conclusion of a separate peace. He was afraid of the German offensive and the complete loss of his own power, which even after the coup relied heavily on German money. It is unlikely that the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was directly bought by Berlin. The main factor was precisely the fear of losing power. If we consider that a year after the conclusion of peace with Germany, Lenin was even ready to divide Russia in exchange for international recognition, then the conditions of the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty will not seem so humiliating.

Trotsky occupied an intermediate position in the internal party struggle. He defended the thesis “No peace, no war.” That is, he proposed to stop hostilities, but not to sign any agreements with Germany. As a result of the struggle within the party, it was decided to delay the negotiations in every possible way, expecting a revolution in Germany, but if the Germans presented an ultimatum, then agree to all the conditions. However, Trotsky, who led the Soviet delegation in the second round of negotiations, refused to accept the German ultimatum. Negotiations broke down and Germany continued to advance. When peace was signed, the Germans were 170 km from Petrograd.

Annexations and indemnities

Peace conditions were very difficult for Russia. She lost Ukraine and Polish lands, renounced claims to Finland, gave up the Batumi and Kars regions, had to demobilize all her troops, abandon the Black Sea Fleet and pay huge indemnities. The country was losing almost 800 thousand square meters. km and 56 million people. In Russia, Germans received the exclusive right to freely engage in business. In addition, the Bolsheviks pledged to pay off the tsarist debts to Germany and its allies.

At the same time, the Germans did not comply with their own obligations. After signing the treaty, they continued the occupation of Ukraine, overthrew Soviet rule on the Don and helped the White movement in every possible way.

Rise of the Left

The Brest-Litovsk Treaty almost led to a split in the Bolshevik Party and the loss of power by the Bolsheviks. Lenin hardly pushed the final decision on peace through a vote in the Central Committee, threatening to resign. The party split did not happen only thanks to Trotsky, who agreed to abstain from voting, ensuring victory for Lenin. But this did not help avoid a political crisis.

Peace Decree

Conditions

Betrayal and necessity

Not all Bolsheviks agreed to sign a separate peace. The left was categorically against any agreements with imperialism. They defended the idea of exporting the revolution, believing that without socialism in Europe, Russian socialism is doomed to death (and subsequent transformations of the Bolshevik regime proved them right). The leaders of the left Bolsheviks were Bukharin, Uritsky, Radek, Dzerzhinsky and others. They called for a guerrilla war against German imperialism, and in the future hoped to conduct regular military operations with the forces of the newly created Red Army.
Lenin was, first of all, in favor of the immediate conclusion of a separate peace. He was afraid of the German offensive and the complete loss of his own power, which even after the coup relied heavily on German money. It is unlikely that the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was directly bought by Berlin. The main factor was precisely the fear of losing power. If we consider that a year after the conclusion of peace with Germany, Lenin was even ready to divide Russia in exchange for international recognition, then the conditions of the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty will not seem so humiliating.

Annexations and indemnities

Rise of the Left

The Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty was categorically not accepted by the Left Socialist Revolutionary Party. They left the government, killed the German ambassador Mirbach and raised an armed uprising in Moscow. Due to the lack of a clear plan and goals, it was suppressed, but it was a very real threat to the power of the Bolsheviks. At the same time, the commander of the Eastern Front of the Red Army, Social Revolutionary Muravyov, rebelled in Simbirsk. It also ended in failure.

Cancellation

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed on March 3, 1918. Already in November, a revolution occurred in Germany, and the Bolsheviks annulled the peace agreement. After the victory of the Entente, Germany withdrew troops from former Russian territories. However, Russia was no longer among the winners.

In the coming years, the Bolsheviks were unable to regain power over most of the territories seized by the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.

Beneficiary

Lenin received the greatest benefit from the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty. After the treaty was annulled, his authority grew. He gained fame as a shrewd politician, whose actions helped the Bolsheviks gain time and retain power. After this, the Bolshevik Party consolidated, and the Left Socialist Revolutionary Party was defeated. A one-party system was established in the country.

After the transfer of power into the hands of the Bolsheviks on October 25, 1917, a truce was established in the Russian-German fleet. By January 1918, not a single soldier remained in some sectors of the front. The truce was officially signed only on December 2. When leaving the front, many soldiers took their weapons or sold them to the enemy.

Negotiations began on December 9, 1917 in Brest-Litovsk, which was the headquarters of the German command. But Germany presented demands that contradicted the previously proclaimed slogan “A world without annexations and indemnities.” Trotsky, who led the Russian delegation, was able to find a way out of the situation. His speech at the negotiations boiled down to the following formula: “Don’t sign peace, don’t wage war, disband the army.” This shocked German diplomats. But it did not deter the enemy troops from decisive action. The offensive of the Austro-Hungarian troops along the entire front continued on February 18. And the only thing that hindered the advance of the troops was the bad Russian roads.

The new Russian government agreed to accept the terms of the Brest Peace on February 19. The conclusion of the Brest Peace Treaty was entrusted to G. Skolnikov. However, now the conditions of the peace treaty turned out to be more difficult. In addition to the loss of vast territories, Russia was also obliged to pay indemnity. The signing of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty took place on March 3 without discussing the terms. Russia lost: Ukraine, the Baltic states, Poland, part of Belarus and 90 tons of gold. The Soviet government moved from Petrograd to Moscow on March 11, fearing that the city would be captured by the Germans, despite the already concluded peace treaty.

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was in effect until November; after the revolution in Germany, it was annulled by the Russian side. But the consequences of the Brest Peace had their effect. This peace treaty became one of the important factors in the outbreak of the civil war in Russia. Later, in 1922, relations between Russia and Germany were regulated by the Treaty of Rapallo, according to which the parties renounced territorial claims.

Civil War and Intervention (briefly)

The civil war began in October 1917 and ended with the defeat of the White Army in the Far East in the fall of 1922. During this time, on the territory of Russia, various social classes and groups resolved the contradictions that arose between them using armed methods.

The main reasons for the outbreak of the civil war include: the discrepancy between the goals of transforming society and the methods for achieving them, the refusal to create a coalition government, the dispersal of the Constituent Assembly, the nationalization of land and industry, the liquidation of commodity-money relations, the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat, the creation of a one-party system, the danger of the spread of the revolution on other countries, economic losses of Western powers during regime change in Russia.

In the spring of 1918, British, American and French troops landed in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk. The Japanese invaded the Far East, the British and Americans landed in Vladivostok - the intervention began.

On May 25, there was an uprising of the 45,000-strong Czechoslovak corps, which was transferred to Vladivostok for further shipment to France. A well-armed and equipped corps stretched from the Volga to the Urals. In the conditions of the decayed Russian army, he became the only real force at that time. The corps, supported by the Social Revolutionaries and White Guards, put forward demands for the overthrow of the Bolsheviks and the convening of the Constituent Assembly.

In the South, the Volunteer Army of General A.I. Denikin was formed, which defeated the Soviets in the North Caucasus. The troops of P.N. Krasnov approached Tsaritsyn, in the Urals the Cossacks of General A.A. Dutov captured Orenburg. In November-December 1918, English troops landed in Batumi and Novorossiysk, and the French occupied Odessa. In these critical conditions, the Bolsheviks managed to create a combat-ready army by mobilizing people and resources and attracting military specialists from the tsarist army.

By the fall of 1918, the Red Army liberated the cities of Samara, Simbirsk, Kazan and Tsaritsyn.

The revolution in Germany had a significant influence on the course of the civil war. Having admitted its defeat in the First World War, Germany agreed to annul the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and withdrew its troops from the territory of Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic states.

The Entente began to withdraw its troops, providing only material assistance to the White Guards.

By April 1919, the Red Army managed to stop the troops of General A.V. Kolchak. Driven deep into Siberia, they were defeated by the beginning of 1920.

In the summer of 1919, General Denikin, having captured Ukraine, moved towards Moscow and approached Tula. The troops of the first cavalry army under the command of M.V. Frunze and the Latvian riflemen concentrated on the Southern Front. In the spring of 1920, near Novorossiysk, the “Reds” defeated the White Guards.

In the north of the country, the troops of General N.N. Yudenich fought against the Soviets. In the spring and autumn of 1919 they made two unsuccessful attempts to capture Petrograd.

In April 1920, the conflict between Soviet Russia and Poland began. In May 1920, the Poles captured Kyiv. The troops of the Western and Southwestern Fronts launched an offensive, but failed to achieve final victory.

Realizing the impossibility of continuing the war, in March 1921 the parties signed a peace treaty.

The war ended with the defeat of General P.N. Wrangel, who led the remnants of Denikin’s troops in the Crimea. In 1920, the Far Eastern Republic was formed, and by 1922 it was finally liberated from the Japanese.

Reasons for victory Bolsheviks: support for the national outskirts and Russian peasants, deceived by the Bolshevik slogan “Land to the peasants”, the creation of a combat-ready army, the absence of a common command among the whites, support for Soviet Russia from labor movements and communist parties of other countries.

Since Russia on the one hand and Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey on the other agreed to end the state of war and complete peace negotiations as soon as possible, they were appointed plenipotentiary representatives:

From the Russian Federative Soviet Republic:

Grigory Yakovlevich Sokolnikov, member of the Center. Exec. Committee Sov. Worker, Soldier and Peasants. Deputies,

Lev Mikhailovich Karakhan, member of the Center. Exec. Committee of Soviets Workers, Soldiers and Peasant Deputies,

Georgy Vasilyevich Chicherin, Assistant to the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs and

Grigory Ivanovich Petrovsky, People's Commissar for Internal Affairs.

From the Imperial German Government: State Secretary of the Foreign Office, Imperial Privy Councilor Richard von Kühlmann,

Imperial Envoy and Minister Plenipotentiary, Dr. von Rosenberg,

Royal Prussian Major General Hoffmann, Chief of the General Staff of the Supreme Commander on the Eastern Front, and

captain 1st rank Gorn,

From the Imperial and Royal General Austro-Hungarian Government:

Minister of the Imperial and Royal Household and Foreign Affairs, His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty Privy Councilor Ottokar Count Czernin von and Zu-Chudenitz, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty Privy Councilor Cajetan Mere von Kapos Mere, General of Infantry His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty Privy Councilor Maximilian Chicherich von Bachani.

From the Royal Bulgarian Government:

Royal Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in Vienna, Andrey Toshev, Colonel of the General Staff, Royal Bulgarian Military Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the German Emperor and Aide-de-Camp to His Majesty the King of the Bulgarians, Petr Ganchev, Royal Bulgarian First Secretary of the Mission, Dr. Theodor Anastasov,

From the Imperial Ottoman Government:

His Highness Ibrahim Hakki Pasha, former Grand Vizier, Member of the Ottoman Senate, Ambassador Plenipotentiary of His Majesty the Sultan in Berlin, His Excellency General of the Cavalry, Adjutant General of His Majesty the Sultan and Military Plenipotentiary of His Majesty the Sultan to His Majesty the German Emperor, Zeki Pasha.

The plenipotentiaries met at Brest-Litovsk for peace negotiations and, after presenting their powers, which were found to be in correct and proper form, came to an agreement regarding the following resolutions.

Article I

Russia on the one hand and Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey on the other declare that the state of war between them has ended; They decided to henceforth live among themselves in peace and friendship.

Article II.

The contracting parties will refrain from any agitation or propaganda against the government or state and military institutions of the other party. Since this obligation concerns Russia, it also applies to the areas occupied by the powers of the Quadruple Alliance.

Article III.

The areas lying to the west of the line established by the contracting parties and previously belonging to Russia will no longer be under its supreme authority; the established line is indicated on the attached map (Appendix I), which is an essential part of this peace treaty. The exact definition of this line will be worked out by a Russian-German commission.

For the designated regions, no obligations towards Russia will arise from their former affiliation with Russia.

Russia refuses any interference in the internal affairs of these regions. Germany and Austria-Hungary intend to determine the future fate of these areas upon demolition of their population.

Article IV.

Germany is ready, as soon as general peace is concluded and Russian demobilization is completely carried out, to clear the territory lying east of that indicated in paragraph 1 of Art. III line, since Article VI does not provide otherwise. Russia will do everything in its power to ensure the speedy cleansing of the provinces of Eastern Anatolia and their orderly return to Turkey.

The districts of Ardahan, Kars and Batum are also immediately cleared of Russian troops. Russia will not interfere in the new organization of state-legal and international legal relations of these districts, but will allow the population of these districts to establish a new system in agreement with neighboring states, especially Turkey.

Article V

Russia will immediately carry out the complete demobilization of its army, including the military units newly formed by the current government.

In addition, Russia will either transfer its military ships to Russian ports and leave them there until a general peace is concluded, or immediately disarm them. Military vessels of states that continue to be at war with the powers of the Quadruple Alliance, since these vessels are within the sphere of Russian power, are equated to Russian military courts.

The exclusion zone in the Arctic Ocean remains in force until global peace is concluded. In the Baltic Sea and in Russian-controlled parts of the Black Sea, the removal of minefields must begin immediately. Merchant shipping in these maritime areas is free and immediately resumed. Mixed commissions will be created to develop more precise regulations, especially for publishing safe routes for merchant ships. Navigation routes must be kept free of floating mines at all times.

Article VI.

Russia undertakes to immediately make peace with the Ukrainian People's Republic and recognize the peace treaty between this state and the powers of the Quadruple Alliance. The territory of Ukraine is immediately cleared of Russian troops and Russian Red Guards. Russia ceases all agitation or propaganda against the government or public institutions of the Ukrainian People's Republic.

Estland and Livonia are also immediately cleared of Russian troops and Russian Red Guards. The eastern border of Estonia generally runs along the Narva River. The eastern border of Livonia runs generally through Lake Peipus and Lake Pskov to its southwestern corner, then through Lake Lyubanskoe in the direction of Livenhof on the Western Dvina. Estland and Livonia will be occupied by the German police power until public safety is ensured there by the country's own institutions and until public order is established there. Russia will immediately release all arrested or deported residents of Estonia and Livonia and ensure the safe return of all deported Estonians and Livonia residents.

Finland and the Åland Islands will also be immediately cleared of Russian troops and Russian Red Guards, and Finnish ports of the Russian fleet and Russian naval forces. While ice makes it impossible to transfer military ships to Russian ports, only minor crews should be left on them. Russia ceases all agitation or propaganda against the government or public institutions of Finland.

The fortifications erected on the Åland Islands must be demolished as soon as possible. As for the prohibition to henceforth erect fortifications on these islands, as well as their general position in relation to military and navigation technology, a special agreement must be concluded regarding them between Germany, Finland, Russia and Sweden; The parties agree that other states adjacent to the Baltic Sea can be involved in this agreement at Germany's request.

Article VII.

Based on the fact that Persia and Afghanistan are free and independent states, the contracting parties undertake to respect the political and economic independence and territorial integrity of Persia and Afghanistan.

Article VIII.

Prisoners of war from both sides will be released to their homeland. The settlement of related issues will be the subject of special agreements provided for in Art. XII.

Article IX.

The contracting parties mutually refuse compensation for their military expenses, i.e., government costs of waging war, as well as compensation for military losses, i.e., those losses that were caused to them and their citizens in the war zone by military measures, in including all requisitions made in the enemy country.

Article X

Diplomatic and consular relations between the contracting parties will resume immediately after the ratification of the peace treaty. Regarding the admission of consuls, both parties reserve the right to enter into special agreements.

Article XI.

Economic relations between Russia and the powers of the Quadruple Alliance are determined by the regulations contained in Appendices 2-5, with Appendix 2 defining the relations between Russia and Germany, Appendix 3 - between Russia and Austria-Hungary, Appendix 4 - between Russia and Bulgaria, Annex 5 - between Russia and Turkey.

Article XII.

The restoration of public law and private law relations, the exchange of prisoners of war and civilian prisoners, the issue of amnesty, as well as the issue of treatment of merchant ships that have fallen into the power of the enemy, is the subject of separate agreements with Russia, which form an essential part of this peace treaty, and, so far as possible, come into force simultaneously with it.

Article XIII.

When interpreting this treaty, the authentic texts for relations between Russia and Germany are Russian and German, between Russia and Austria-Hungary - Russian, German and Hungarian, between Russia and Bulgaria - Russian and Bulgarian, between Russia and Turkey - Russian and Turkish.

Article XIV.

This peace treaty will be ratified. The exchange of instruments of ratification should take place in Berlin as soon as possible. The Russian government undertakes to exchange instruments of ratification at the request of one of the powers of the Quadruple Alliance within two weeks.

A peace treaty comes into force from the moment of its ratification, unless otherwise follows from its articles, appendices or additional treaties.

In witness of this, the authorized persons have personally signed this agreement.

Original in five copies.

(Signatures).

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk is a treaty between Germany and the Soviet government, obliging Russia to withdraw from the First World War. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was concluded on March 3, 1918 and ended after Germany surrendered in the World War.

Before the start of the war, all the countries of Western Europe knew what the position of the Russian Empire was: the country was in a state of economic recovery.

This was evidenced not only by the increase in the standard of living of the population, but also by the rapprochement of the foreign policy of the Russian Empire with the advanced states of that time - Great Britain and France.

Changes in the economy gave impetus to changes in the social sphere, in particular the number of the working class increased, but the majority of the population was still peasants.

It was the country's active foreign policy that led to the final formation of the Entente - an alliance of Russia, France and England. In turn, Germany and Austria-Hungary and Italy formed the main composition of the Triple Alliance, which opposed the Entente. The colonial contradictions of the great powers of that time led to the beginning

For a long time, the Russian Empire was in military decline, which intensified by the beginning of the World War. The reasons for this condition are obvious:

untimely completion of the military reform that began after the Russo-Japanese War;
slow implementation of the program for the formation of new armed associations;
lack of ammunition and provisions;
aging military doctrine, including increased numbers of cavalry in Russian forces;
lack of automatic weapons and communications equipment to supply the army;
insufficient qualifications of the command staff.

These factors contributed to the low combat effectiveness of the Russian army and the increase in the number of deaths during military campaigns. In 1914, the Western and Eastern Fronts were formed - the main battle arenas of the First World War. During 1914-1916, Russia took part in three military campaigns on the Eastern Front.

The first campaign (1914) was marked by the successful Battle of Galicia for the Russian state, during which troops occupied Lviv, the capital of Galicia, as well as the defeat of Turkish troops in the Caucasus.

The second campaign (1915) began with the breakthrough of German troops into the territory of Galicia, during which the Russian Empire suffered significant losses, but at the same time remained capable of providing military support to the territories of the Allies. At the same time, the Quadruple Alliance (a coalition of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria) was formed in the territories of the Western Front.

During the Third Campaign (1916), Russia manages to improve the military position of France, at which time the United States enters the war against Germany on the Western Front.

In July, the offensive on the territory of Galicia intensified under the command of A.A. Brusilov. The so-called Brusilov breakthrough was able to bring the army of Austria-Hungary to a critical state. Brusilov's troops occupy the territories of Galicia and Bukovina, but due to lack of support from the allied countries they are forced to go on the defensive.

During the course of the war, the attitude of soldiers towards military service changes, discipline deteriorates and there is complete demoralization of the Russian army. By the beginning of 1917, when a national crisis overtook Russia, the country’s economy was in significant decline: the value of the ruble was falling, the financial system was being disrupted, due to a lack of fuel energy, the work of about 80 enterprises was stopped, and taxes were increasing.

There is an active increase in high prices and the subsequent collapse of the economy. This was the reason for the introduction of forced grain requisitioning and mass indignation among the civilian population. As economic problems develop, a revolutionary movement is brewing, which brings to power the Bolshevik faction, whose primary task was Russia's exit from the world war.

This is interesting! The main force of the October Revolution was the movement of soldiers, so the Bolsheviks' promise to end hostilities was obvious.

Negotiations between Germany and Russia about the coming peace began back in 1917. They were dealt with by Trotsky, at that time the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs.

At that time there were three main forces in the Bolshevik party:

Lenin. He argued that a peace agreement must be signed on any terms.
Bukharin. He put forward the idea of war at any cost.
Trotsky. It supported uncertainty - an ideal situation for Western European countries.

The idea of signing a peace document was supported most of all by V.I. Lenin. He understood the need to accept Germany’s conditions and demanded that Trotsky sign the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty, but the People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs was confident in the further development of the revolution in Germany, as well as in the lack of strength in the Triple Alliance for further offensives.

That is why Trotsky, an ardent left communist, delayed the conclusion of a peace treaty. Contemporaries believe that this behavior of the People's Commissar gave impetus to tightening the terms of the peace document. Germany demanded the separation of the Baltic and Polish territories and some Baltic islands from Russia. It was assumed that the Soviet state would lose up to 160 thousand km2 of territory.

The truce was concluded in December 1917 and was in force until January 1918. In January, both sides were supposed to meet for negotiations, which were eventually canceled by Trotsky. A peace agreement is signed between Germany and Ukraine (thus an attempt was made to pit the UPR government against the Soviet government), and the RSFSR decides to announce its withdrawal from the world war without signing a peace treaty.

Germany begins a large-scale offensive on sections of the Eastern Front, which leads to the threat of the seizure of territories by the Bolshevik power. The result of this tactic was the signing of peace in the city of Brest-Litovsk.

Signing and terms of the agreement

The peace document was signed on March 3, 1918. The terms of the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty, as well as the additional agreement concluded in August of the same year, were as follows:

Russia's loss of territory with a total area of about 790 thousand km2.
Withdrawal of troops from the Baltic regions, Finland, Poland, Belarus and Transcaucasia and subsequent abandonment of these territories.
Recognition by the Russian state of the independence of Ukraine, which came under the protectorate of Germany.
Cessions to Turkey of the territories of Eastern Anatolia, Kars and Ardahan.
Germany's indemnity amounted to 6 billion marks (about 3 billion gold rubles).
Entry into force of certain clauses of the 1904 trade agreement.
Cessation of revolutionary propaganda in Austria and Germany.
The Black Sea Fleet came under the command of Austria-Hungary and Germany.

Also in the additional agreement there was a clause that obliged Russia to withdraw Entente troops from its territories and, in the event of the defeat of the Russian army, German-Finnish troops were supposed to eliminate this problem.

Sokolnikov G. Ya., at the head of the delegation and People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs G. V. Chicherin, signed the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty at 17:50 local time, thus trying to correct the mistakes of the one who adhered to the principle of “neither war, nor peace” - L. D. Trotsky.

The Entente states accepted the separate peace with hostility. They openly declared non-recognition of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty and began landing troops in different parts of Russia. Thus, the imperialist intervention in the Soviet country began.

Note! Despite the conclusion of a peace treaty, the Bolshevik government feared a second offensive by German troops and moved the capital from Petrograd to Moscow.

Already in 1918, Germany was on the verge of collapse, under the influence of which an actively hostile policy towards the RSFSR emerged.

Only the bourgeois-democratic revolution prevented Germany from joining the Entente and organizing the fight against Soviet Russia.

The annulment of the peace treaty gave the Soviet authorities the opportunity not to pay indemnity and to begin the liberation of Russian regions captured by the Germans.

Modern historians argue that the significance of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in the history of Russia is difficult to overestimate. Assessments of the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty are diametrically opposed. Many believe that the agreement served as a catalyst for the further development of the Russian state.

According to others, the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty pushed the state to the abyss, and the actions of the Bolsheviks should be perceived as a betrayal of the people. The Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty had unfavorable consequences.

The occupation of Ukraine by Germany created a food problem and disrupted ties between the country and regions of grain and raw materials production. Economic devastation worsened, and Russian society split at the political and social level. The results of the split were not long in coming - the civil war began (1917-1922).

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Conclusion

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a forced measure based on the economic and military decline of Russia, as well as the activation of German and Allied troops on the Eastern Front.

The document did not last long - already in November 1918 it was annulled by both sides, but it was it that gave impetus to fundamental changes in the power structures of the RSFSR. Historical assessments of the Brest Peace make it clear: the Russian state lost to the losing side, and this is a unique event in the history of mankind.