What was the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a peace treaty signed between the Russia (already ruled by the Bolsheviks) and the so-called PowersCentrals (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire). This agreement was signed on March 3, 1918 and made the Russia's withdrawal from World War I. He was known for the harshness of the terms imposed by the Central Powers, which forced Russia to deal with vast territorial losses.
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Historical context
Russian troops during inspection of Nicholas II, Russian tsar, during World War I.
Russia's involvement in World War I was due to issues nationalists that involved the region of the Balkans, especially the question of Bosnia. These issues were compounded when Bosnia was officially annexed by Austria-Hungary in 1908.
At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a nationalist movement in Russia known as Pan-Slavism. In this movement, the Russians defended the emancipation of all Slavic peoples (including those who inhabited the Balkans) so that they would be placed under Russian control and ruled by tsars. Thus, there was a dispute of interests between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Russia for control of this region.
Russia's involvement in the war occurred when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia (on 29 July 1914), the protected nation of Russia, in retaliation for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, by a Bosnian student in a movement nationalist.
After the declaration of war, Russia mobilized troops in Serbia's defense. On August 1, Germany declared war on Russia in response to the mobilization of Russian troops. On August 6, Austria-Hungary declared war on Russia.
Russia's participation in the war turned out to be a real disaster. Before the whole crisis broke out, a Russian politician named Piotr Durnovo|1| he already affirmed the need to avoid a war with Germany for ideological reasons, but mainly because the war would be disastrous for Russia.
Russia's social order was rebuilt very fragile after the disturbances that occurred in 1905. Durnovo feared that Russia's involvement in a war would shake society again. The Russian politician was right in his prediction, as the war deeply shook Russia.
In the first year of the war, Russia did well, especially in fighting against Austrian and Ottomans, but when the fighting took place against German troops, the result for the Russians was disastrous. The Russians were racking up defeats for the Germans, who penetrated deeper and deeper into Russian territory and killed thousands of Russians.
The war, moreover, shook the Russian economy in such a way that food was lacking for an already impoverished population. This was directly reflected in the social order, as war, which had never been very popular, came to be seen in an extremely negative way by the population. This pushed Russia into revolution.
In 1917, the Russian revolution it shook the country's structures and put an end to the tsarist monarchy. In October, the Bolsheviks (Revolutionary Socialists) seized power from Russia. The leader of the Bolsheviks, Vladimir Lenin, argued that the exit from the war was essential for the future of the country. In Lenin's view, World War I was an imperialist conflict that had nothing to do with the interests of the Russian people. Thus, a commission was created to negotiate peace with Germany.
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terms of treaty
Russia formed a commission led by LeonTrotsky. The war was extremely unpopular in Russia for lack of food and for the millions who died. Furthermore, the Russian army was on the verge of collapse, and defeats for Germany were beginning to threaten large and important Russian cities such as Petrograd (now St. Petersburg).
Thus, Russia, at first, directed Britain and France to both negotiate the end of the war. As both did not listen, Russia began its withdrawal from the war with the Central Powers in isolation. The idea was to negotiate suitable terms for peace, although Lenin defended the idea of peace at all costs.
Negotiations between Russians and representatives of the Central Powers began in December 1917 in Brest-Litovsk. After comings and goings in the negotiations, the Russians accepted the harsh terms imposed by the representatives of the Central Powers, mainly by force of the Germans. Russian acceptance took place on March 3, 1918. The terms included:
Hostilities between Russia and Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire would cease.
Russia should give up the following territories: Finland, countriesBaltics (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), Belarus, Ukraine and Poland. The destinations of these territories would be decided in common agreement between Germans, Austrians and the local populations.
Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan they would gain their independence.
The Ottomans also reclaimed territories that had been lost in a nineteenth-century war between the Ottomans and Russians.
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Consequences
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, signed in 1918, was short-lived. With the German defeat, it lost validity and became officially invalid with the signature of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. Many historians argue that the harshness of the terms imposed at Versailles was a reflection of the harshness of the Germans at Brest-Litovsk.
For Russia, the treaty had a hard impact. The Russians lost a considerable part of their territory and population. In addition, they had to give up valuable reserves of oil and coal, as well as the entire industrial network that existed in the ceded territories. The terms of the treaty were also heavily criticized, and Russia's concessions drew internal criticism.
Ultimately, the treaty helped redefine the map of Europe and led to the emergence of new nations such as Poland, Estonia, and Lithuania.
Summary
O Brest-Litovski Treaty it was an agreement that sealed peace between Russia and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire) during the First World War. The Russians began negotiations soon after the Bolsheviks took over the country.
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed on March 3, 1918, and the Russians relinquished vast territories. The treaty also caused Russia to lose coal and oil reserves and part of its industrial infrastructure. The treaty, however, soon lost validity after the German defeat and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
|1| ORLOVSKY, Daniel T. Russia in war and revolution. In.: FREEZE, Gregory L. Russian history. Lisbon: Editions 70, p. 294.
*Image credits: Everett Historical and Shutterstock
By Daniel Neves
Graduated in History
