Brest-Litovsk Treaty
From Infoshop OpenWiki
The Brest-Litovsk Treaty was initiated by the Soviet government in 1917 in effort to stop the war with Germany. The negotiations lasted several months, during which time Germany continued attacking Russia. The Central Committee sent Trotsky, Kamenev, and Chicherin to end the war. On March 3, 1918, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed. The terms were harsh for Russia, but were annulled when Germany was defeated by the Allies in November.
The difficult conditions of peace which the Germans, threatening a constantly deeper invasion of the Ukraine and Russia, sought to impose at Brest-Litovsk, created a dispute throughout the Soviet government.
Lenin stood for signing the proposed peace treaty, carrying out the first promise in the slogan the Bolsheviks had used before coming to power: "Peace". Lenin stressed to the Central Committee that Germany could be defeated from within by its workers, and that if the German revolution did not occur and the treaty was not signed, Germany would surely drive further into Russia and force harsher terms of peace. Bukharin opposed the acceptance of the peace terms and advocated a revolutionary war against the Germans. Trotsky, citing the exhaustion of the armed forces, proposed that the war be declared at an end, but that the peace treaty not be signed. If the Germans then continued to advance, Trotsky believed the terms should then be accepted "at the point of a bayonet." This position was meant to show the International and especially the German working class that the Soviets had held out against German imperialism till the very last.
At the outset Lenin's position was in the minority. The principal soviets in Russia — Moscow, Ekaterinburg, Kharkov, Kronstadt, etc. — save for the Petrograd and Sebastopol soviets, were against signing the treaty. On January 21, 1918, at a conference in Petrograd of active leaders throughout the country, with 68 present, the Bukharin's position received a majority of 32, Trotsky's position received 16, and Lenin's position 15 votes.
When the German Army again resumed its advance and gave the treaty as their final ultimatum, the Central Committee hastily enacted Lenin's proposal. At the February 23 meeting, Lenin, Zinoviev, Sverdlov and Sokolnikov voted to sign, with Bukharin, Dzerzhinsky, Uritsky and Lomov voting against.
The C.C. thereupon decided by 7 votes to 4, with 4 abstaining to accept the German proposal instantly. At this session, Stalin commented: "It is not necessary to sign, but we can begin peace negotiations". The Left Communists, and Left SRs, among them Bukharin, Lomov, Bubnov, Yakovlev, Piatakov and V. Smirnov thereupon announced their withdrawal from all responsible party and Soviet posts in order to be able to carry on their agitation against the decision. They issued the paper Kommunist which for several months agitated against the peace. They later rejoined the party, when Germany had been defeated by the Entente powers.
This page is part of the Field Guide to the Left.
