8. THE TREATY OF BREST-LITOVSK BETWEEN THE CENTRAL POWERS AND RUSSIA, MARCH 3, 1918
Introduction
This peace treaty between the new Bolshevik government of Soviet Russia and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire) ended Russia’s participation in World War I. After long and bitter negotiations, the harsh treaty was signed at the insistence of the new leader of the government, V. I. Lenin, under threat of continued military action by Germany. The treaty only lasted eight months, but both German and the Soviet Union dealt with the long-term effects well into 1940.
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, March 3, 1918
ARTICLE 1
Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey on the one hand and Russia on the other declare that the condition of war between them has ceased. They have decided to live in peace and accord in the future.
ARTICLE 2
The contracting parties will refrain from all agitation or propaganda against the governments or all state and military institutions of the other side. Inasmuch as this obligation affects Russia, it affects also the territories occupied by the powers of the Quadruple Alliance.
ARTICLE 3
The territories lying to the west of the line determined by the contracting powers and which formerly belonged to Russia will no longer be under her sovereignty. The line determined upon is marked on the appended map (Appendix I), which is an important part of the present treaty of peace. The precise location of this line will be worked out by a German-Russian commission.
In respect to the mentioned territories no obligations towards Russia are to be considered as issuing from their formerly having belonged to that country.
Russia gives up all interference in the internal affairs of the said territories. Germany and Austria-Hungary intend to determine the future fate of the said territories with the consent of their inhabitants.
ARTICLE 4
Germany is ready, as soon as general peace is established and Russian den mobilization will have completely taken place, to vacate the territories lying east of the line mentioned in part 1 of Article 3, insomuch as Article 6 does not rule otherwise.
Russia will do all in her power to have the provinces of eastern Anatolia promptly evacuated and returned to Turkey.
The territories of Ardakhan, Kars and Batum will also be cleared without delay of Russian troops. Russia will not interfere in the new organization of internal juridical and international juridical relations of such territories, but will allow the populations of these territories to establish new governments in agreement with neighboring states, especially with Turkey.
ARTICLE 5
Russia will, without delay, proceed to demobilize her army, including those army units newly formed by her present government.
Moreover Russia will either bring her warships into Russian ports and keep them there until general peace is concluded, or will disarm them at once. The warships of the countries continuing in a state of war with the Quadruple Alliance, in so far as such warships are within the sphere of Russian sovereignty, must be treated as Russian warships.
The prohibition zone of the Arctic Ocean remains in force until the conclusion of general peace. In the Baltic Sea and those parts of the Black Sea under Russia’s supremacy, the clearing away of mine defense must be begun at once. Merchant navigation in those sea regions is free and is to recommence at once. Mixed commissions are to be formed for the purpose of framing more concise regulations and especially for the purpose of publication of general information as to safe courses of sailing for trading vessels. Such courses must always be free of floating mines.
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, aka Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, better known as V. I. Lenin, was the founder of the Russian Communist Party, leader of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, and the architect, builder, and first leader of the Soviet Union. Lenin spent the years leading up to the 1917 revolution in exile. After the revolution, Lenin and the Bolsheviks fought the Russian Civil War (1917–1922) to eliminate their enemies and consolidate their power.
ARTICLE 6
Russia undertakes to conclude peace at once with the Ukrainian people’s republic and to recognize the treaty of peace between the state and the powers of the Quadruple Alliance. The territory of the Ukraine must be, at once, cleared of Russian troops and of the Russian Red Guard. Russia ceases all agitation or propaganda against the government or the public institutions of the Ukrainian people’s republic.
Esthonia and Livonia must be also immediately cleared of Russian troops and the Russian Red Guard. The eastern boundary of Esthonia passes in general along the River Narova. The eastern boundary of Livonia, in general, crosses the Lakes Chud [Peipus] and Pskov up to the southwestern corner of the latter, thence it runs across Lake Luban in the direction of Lievenhof on the Western Dvina. Esthonia and Livonia will be occupied by German police force until public safety is secured by proper institutions of the country and until governmental order is reestablished. Russia will at once liberate all the inhabitants of Esthonia and Livonia who have been arrested or deported and will secure a safe return of all deported Esthonians and Livonians.
Finland and the Aland Islands will be also, without delay, cleared of Russian troops and the Russian Red Guard and Finnish ports of the Russian fleet and of Russian naval forces. While ice renders impossible the conveying of warships to Russian ports there must remain on board only a limited crew. Russia ceases all agitation or propaganda against the government or public institutions of Finland.
The fortifications constructed on the Aland Islands must be razed at the first opportunity. As regards the prohibition to erect fortifications of these islands in the future, as well as the question of their future in general in a military respect and in respect to the technical side of navigation, a special agreement must be concluded between Germany, Finland, Russia and Sweden; the parties consent that at Germany’s desire other countries bordering the Baltic Sea may be called upon to take part in the above agreement.
ARTICLE 7
Considering the fact that Persia and Afghanistan are free and independent countries, the contracting parties bind themselves to respect the political and economic independence and the territorial inviolability of Persia and Afghanistan.
ARTICLE 8
The prisoners of war of both parties will be allowed to return home. The regulation of questions in connection with the above will be the subject of special treaties mentioned in Article 12.
ARTICLE 9
The contracting parties mutually renounce all indemnifications for their war expenses, that is, for government expenses for conducting the war, as well as all compensation of war losses, that is, such losses as were caused them and their citizens in the zone of war by military operations, including all requisitions made in the enemy’s country.
ARTICLE 10
Diplomatic and consular relations between the contracting parties are resumed at once after ratification of the treaty of peace. The question of allowing consuls of both parties free entrance will be decided by a separate agreement.
ARTICLE 11
The economic relations between the powers of the Quadruple Alliance and Russia are regulated by decisions contained in Appendices II to V . . .
ARTICLE 12
The reestablishment of public and private legal relations, the exchange of war and civil prisoners, the question of amnesty as well as the question regarding merchant ships which have been seized by one or the other side, will be provided for in separate treaties with Russia, which form an important part of the present peace treaty, and as far as it is possible come into force simultaneously with the latter.
ARTICLE 13
In interpreting this treaty the authentic texts for relations between Germany and Russia shall be the German and Russian texts, between Austria-Hungary and Russia the German, Hungarian and Russian texts, between Bulgaria and Russia the Bulgarian and Russian texts, between Turkey and Russia the Turkish and Russian texts.
ARTICLE 14
The present peace treaty must be ratified. Exchange of ratification documents must take place in Berlin as soon as possible. The Russian Government binds itself to execute the exchange of ratification documents at the desire of one of the powers of the Quadruple Alliance in the course of two weeks. The peace treaty enters into force at the moment of its ratification, unless otherwise stipulated in the respective articles, appendices thereof or supplementary agreements thereto.
In witness thereof the plenipotentiaries have with their own hand signed the present treaty.
Done in quintuplicate, Brest Litovsk, March 3, 1918.
Source: U.S. Department of State, Foreign Relations of the United States, 1918: Russia, 3 vols. (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1931), 1:442–470.