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Graf von Kreuzigung
Something completely different.
Today 100 years ago : 3 March1918 : the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
The peace treaty between the recently created Communist Russian state, and the Central Powers, that ended the war on the Eastern Front.
After the October Revolution in 1917, Russia had concluded an armistice with the Central Powers.
Germany needed this treaty, so it could bring its troops to the Western Front. These reinforcements were needed, because soon, the first US troops would arrive in France. Germany wanted to make a decisive breakthrough on the Western Front before the US Army could take part to the war.
Russia wanted to get out of the war, but the new government disagreed on the terms. Some wanted to continue a guerilla war against the Central Powers, others wanted to gain time, hoping that the Revolution would spread quickly over Europe. So, they tried to prolong the armistice and delay the peace negotiations.
The Central Powers also wanted to enforce grain supplies from Ukraine to their starving cities.
In February 1918, Germany became impatient about the delay. Their armies started marching east again. For the Communists, it became clear that the Revolution was not spreading around at all, so the priority shifted to securing their own Revolution in Russia. When they agreed on the terms of the treaty, the Germans had conquered 200 more kilometers.
A harsh point for Russia to accept were the territorial claims of Germany : they wanted to annex parts of Russia and create the Baltic States, Poland and Ukraine as independent countries, or rather, client states to Germany. They also wanted to keep as much of the territories they had occupied in February. For Russia it meant giving up one third of its population and of its arable land, half of its industrial capacity and nine tenths of its coal mines.
The war was officially over on the Eastern Front, but the treaty had not brought peace. Bolsheviks kept stirring unrest and revolt in the region. At the end, the Brest-Litovsk Peace would be a pyrrhic victory for Germany. Six months later, its Western Front would collapse. It had a lot to blame for that on itself. Because of its excessive territorial eagerness in the Brest-Litovsk negotiations. Germany needed none less than one million of troops to occupy and protect their newly acquired territories in the east. One million men that could not be deployed on the Western Front, during the planned spring offensive, although they were desperately needed to make it succeed. A costly blunder.
The Brest-Litovsk Treaty was canceled by the Versailles Treaty in 1919.
Today 100 years ago : 3 March1918 : the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
The peace treaty between the recently created Communist Russian state, and the Central Powers, that ended the war on the Eastern Front.
After the October Revolution in 1917, Russia had concluded an armistice with the Central Powers.
Germany needed this treaty, so it could bring its troops to the Western Front. These reinforcements were needed, because soon, the first US troops would arrive in France. Germany wanted to make a decisive breakthrough on the Western Front before the US Army could take part to the war.
Russia wanted to get out of the war, but the new government disagreed on the terms. Some wanted to continue a guerilla war against the Central Powers, others wanted to gain time, hoping that the Revolution would spread quickly over Europe. So, they tried to prolong the armistice and delay the peace negotiations.
The Central Powers also wanted to enforce grain supplies from Ukraine to their starving cities.
In February 1918, Germany became impatient about the delay. Their armies started marching east again. For the Communists, it became clear that the Revolution was not spreading around at all, so the priority shifted to securing their own Revolution in Russia. When they agreed on the terms of the treaty, the Germans had conquered 200 more kilometers.
A harsh point for Russia to accept were the territorial claims of Germany : they wanted to annex parts of Russia and create the Baltic States, Poland and Ukraine as independent countries, or rather, client states to Germany. They also wanted to keep as much of the territories they had occupied in February. For Russia it meant giving up one third of its population and of its arable land, half of its industrial capacity and nine tenths of its coal mines.
The war was officially over on the Eastern Front, but the treaty had not brought peace. Bolsheviks kept stirring unrest and revolt in the region. At the end, the Brest-Litovsk Peace would be a pyrrhic victory for Germany. Six months later, its Western Front would collapse. It had a lot to blame for that on itself. Because of its excessive territorial eagerness in the Brest-Litovsk negotiations. Germany needed none less than one million of troops to occupy and protect their newly acquired territories in the east. One million men that could not be deployed on the Western Front, during the planned spring offensive, although they were desperately needed to make it succeed. A costly blunder.
The Brest-Litovsk Treaty was canceled by the Versailles Treaty in 1919.
