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Primary sourceDocument3 March 1918

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

3 March 1918

The 1918 peace treaty by which Soviet Russia, under Lenin's direction, withdrew from World War I and ceded vast territory.

Lenin forced this treaty through against party opposition to secure peace and preserve Bolshevik power.

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Open bound volume showing a multilingual treaty page with handwritten and typed columns in German, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Ottoman Turkish and Russian, with a red-and-white cord and wax seal on the left.
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, 3 March 1918.

About this source

What it is

This is the peace treaty signed on 3 March 1918 between Soviet Russia and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria), ending Russia's part in World War I. The Soviet delegation was led first by Adolph Joffe and then by Leon Trotsky; the Central Powers were represented by figures including Richard von Kühlmann and Ottokar Czernin.

Why it matters

Lenin pushed hard for this treaty against strong opposition within his own party, believing peace was essential to save the revolution even at the cost of huge territorial losses, including Ukraine, Poland, and the Baltic states. The treaty caused a political rift with the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries and gave the opposing White movement a unifying cause, shaping the course of the Russian Civil War.

Look closer

  • Why would Lenin accept such harsh terms rather than continue fighting?
  • What does the treaty's multilingual format tell you about the parties involved?
  • What political risks did Lenin take by pushing this treaty through?

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