page_title: Government of Vladimir Lenin
section_title: The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
hierarchical_section_title: Government of Vladimir Lenin / Consolidating power: 1917–1918 / The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
caption_attribution_description: For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Brest-Litowsk, Waffenstillstandsabkommen Zentralbild, I. Weltkrieg 1914-18 Die Unterzeichnung des Waffenstillstandsabkommens zwischen Deutschland und seinen Verbündeten und Rußland am 15.12.1917 in Brest-Litowsk. UBz: Der Oberbefehlshaber der Ostfront Generalfeldmarschall Leopold Prinz von Bayern, links, bei der Unterzeichnung, rechts die Delegation Sowjetrußlands Leo Kamenew, Adolf Joffe und Anastasia Bitsenko. Abgebildete Personen: Von vorne: Hakki Pascha (Osmanisches Reich) von Merey (Österreich-Ungarn) Prinz Leopold von Bayern: 1846-1930, Prinz, Generalfeldmarschall, Deutschland General Hoffmann, Oberst Gawtschew (Bulgarien) Rechte Tischseite sitzend die sowjetrussische Delegation: Lew Kamenew Adolf Joffe Anastassija Bizenko Admiral Altfater Information added by Wikimedia users.Français&#160;: Signature de l' armistice germano-russe du 15 décembre 1917 (et non du Traité de Brest-Litovsk qui le sera plus tard, le 3 mars 1918 - 2008). Sur la photo&#160;: à gauche de la table (avant vers le fond), Zekki-Pacha (Talt Pacha?), von Merey (ambassadeur austro-hongrois), le Commandant des opérations du front de l'Est (Maréchal général Prince Leopold de Bavière), le général Hoffman, le colonel Gawtscheff (Bulgarie) et à droite à table (avant vers le fond) la délégation soviétique bolchevique russes (Leo Kamenev, Adolf Joffe (président de la délégation), Mme Bitsenko et l'amiral Vassily Mikhaïlovitch Altfater, debout derrière eux (Lipsky, Léo Karachan, John Gugovitch Fokke)(selon la légende de la photo conservée par les archives fédérales allemandes et Le Miroir n°217 (téléchargé à part)) Español: Firma del armisticio germano-ruso el 15 de diciembre de 1917 (no del Tratado de Brest-Litovsk, que lo fue más tarde, el 3 de marzo de 1918). En la imagen, a la izquierda, con barba blanca y firmando, el comandante del Frente del Este, el mariscal Príncipe Leopoldo de Baviera. A la derecha, parte de la delegación bolchevique: en primer plano Adolf Joffe seguido de León (Lev) Kamenev, y Anastasia Bitsenko. Tras ella, de pie, con perilla y gafas, el secretario de la delegación León (Lev) Karajan
context_page_description: Under the leadership of Russian communist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin, the Bolshevik Party seized power in the Russian Republic during a coup known as the October Revolution. Overthrowing the pre-existing Provisional Government, the Bolsheviks established a new administration, the first Council of People's Commissars, with Lenin appointed as its governing chairman. Ruling by decree, Lenin’s Sovnarkom introduced widespread reforms confiscating land for redistribution among the permitting non-Russian nations to declare themselves independent, improving labour rights, and increasing access to education.
  The Lenin party continued with the previously scheduled November 1917 election, but when it produced a Constituent Assembly dominated by the rival Socialist Revolutionary Party the Bolsheviks lambasted it as counter-revolutionary and shut it down. The Bolshevik government banned a number of centrist and right-wing parties, and restricted the activities of rival socialist groups, but entered into a governmental coalition with the Left Socialist Revolutionary Party.
context_section_description: Upon taking power in Russia, Lenin believed that a key policy of his government must be to withdraw from the ongoing First World War by establishing an armistice with the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary. He believed that ongoing war would generate increasing resentment among war-weary Russian troops – to whom he had promised peace – and that both these troops and the advancing German Army posed a threat both to the future of his own government and to the wider cause of international socialism. He therefore was inclined to accept peace with the Central Powers at any cost. Other Bolsheviks – in particular Bukharin and the Left Communists – viewed things differently, believing that peace with the Central Powers would be a betrayal of international socialism and that Russia should instead wage "a war of revolutionary defense" that they believed would provoke an uprising of the German proletariat against their nation's government. Lenin biographer Robert Service would characterise the communist's attempts to win over his fellows on this issue as "the fiercest struggle of his career".
  Recognising that he had to proceed with caution, Lenin did not enter into immediate negotiations with the Central Powers, but rather drafted his Decree on Peace, in which he proposed a three-month armistice; it was then approved by the Second Congress of Soviets and presented to the German and Austro-Hungarian governments. The Germans responded positively, viewing this as an opportunity to focus their attentions on the Western Front and stave off looming defeat. In November, armistice talks began at Brest-Litovsk, the headquarters of the German high command on the Eastern Front, with the Russian delegation being led by Adolph Joffe and Leon Trotsky. The two sides agreed on an eleven-day ceasefire, after which they renewed it, agreeing on a ceasefire until January.
  The negotiations for a lasting peace produced differences; the German proposal insisted that they be permitted to keep control of their wartime conquests, which included Poland, Lithuania, and Courland, whereas the Russians countered that this was a violation of these nations' rights to self-determination and that a peaceful settlement must be established without any territorial annexations. There had been hopes among the Bolsheviks that the armistice negotiations could be dragged out indefinitely until such a time as proletarian revolution would break out throughout Europe. On 7 January 1918, Trotsky returned from Brest Litovsk to St. Petersburg, informing the government that the Central Powers had presented them with an ultimatum: either they accept Germany's territorial demands or the war would resume.
  On 8 January, Lenin spoke to the Third All-Russian Congress of Soviets, urging delegates to accept Germany's proposals – he argued that the territorial losses were acceptable if it ensured the survival of the Bolshevik-led government – however the majority of Bolsheviks rejected his position, hoping that they could continue to prolong the armistice. Growing impatient, on 10 February the Central Powers issued a second ultimatum, and while Lenin again urged acceptance, the Bolshevik Central Committee retained its original position, hoping to call Germany's bluff. On 18 February the German Army subsequently relaunched the offensive, advancing further into Russian-controlled territory and within a day conquering Dvinsk; they were now situated 400 miles from the Russian capital of Petrograd.
  Lenin again urged the Bolshevik Central Committee to accept the demands of the Central Powers, this time he won a small majority of seven votes to five; Bukharin and the Left Communists continued to express their opposition. On 23 February the Central Powers issued a new ultimatum: the Russian government would recognise German control not only of Poland and the Baltic states but also Ukraine, else they would face a full-scale invasion of Russia itself.
  On 3 March, the Treaty of Brest Litovsk was signed. Recognising that it would be controversial, Lenin avoided signing the treaty in person,
caption: The signing of the treaty
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