2 - Peace with Germany

Question 1

Why were the Bolseviks keen on making peace with Germany in 1917?

Answer 1

1. Military exhaustion of Russia made it impossible to fight war successfully
2. Germany continued financing Lenin even after Oct Revolution and Lenin wanted to maintain this arrangement

Question 2

What were Trotsky main tactics during the peace-talk crisis?

Answer 2

1. Try to compromise using ‘neither peace, nor war’
2. Tried to delay peace settlement as long as possible to encourage mutiny in Germany
3. Used deliberately disruptive tactics at Brest-litovsk talk and ignored issue at hand e.g. made speeches calling on Germany to overthrow its Bourgeois government,

Question 3

Why was Lenin eventually willing to sign the treaty of Brest-Litovsk in the end?

Answer 3

1. The Germans wouldve considered marching on Petrograd and overthrowing Lenins government if he didnt comply and since Lenin subordinated Russia’s national interests, he signed it
2. Lenin subordinated Russia’s national interests as he believed that an international class struggle would supersede national conflict

Question 4

What were the main terms of the Brest-Litovsk treaty?

Answer 4

Loss of:

1. Huge slice of territory: Third of European Russia, stretching from Baltic to black sea and including Ukraine (russias major grain source)
2. Land: 1 mil square km containing a pop of 45 million
3. Money: 3 billion roubles in reparations

Question 5

Which groups opposed the Treaty of Brest-Litvsk and why?

Answer 5

Left Communists (and some left SR's)
- They opposed it as they believed their first task to consolidate Oct Rev. was driving the German armies from Russia

Question 6

What eventually destroyed the argument of left communists and left SR’s?

Answer 6

1. The collapse of Germanys western front in August 1918

2. The almost total withdrawal of German forces from Russia