which was always a sign of a powerful thinking process. – Well, we have refused to sign the treaty, and the Germans will undertake an offensive. What will you do then?
– We shall sign the Peace Treaty under the threat of bayonet-points. The whole world will see them "at their best."
– And you will not support the revolutionary war slogan, will you? – Ilyich has narrowed his eyelids again.
– By no means!
– Under these conditions, the experiment might be not that dangerous. But we risk losing Estonia or Latvia.
Lenin made a step aside, and after having thought something over for a moment, added with a sly little laugh:
– A good peace with Trotsky is worth losing Latvia and Estonia! Lenin was repeating this phrase for several days. And his mood was improving. We have found the way out of the deadlock – and that's him, Trotsky, who has found it…
…Somebody in the German delegation coughed loudly. Von Kuhlmann was muttering something unclear. Count von Czernin, who was the first to recollect himself after Trotsky's announcement, suggested calling a meeting in order to discuss the proposal of the Soviet delegation.
But Trotsky was not listening to him. The fat is in the fire. There is nothing to discuss. Nothing to wait for. He could go back to Moscow now…
Chapter 3
Who Lenin and Trotsky Concluded the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk For
Now, by hindsight, I can confirm that our defeat started with the Russian Revolution.
Having received the money from the Germans, Lenin promised them to take Russia out of the war. And then Lenin concluded a peace treaty, which was advantageous for Germany. This is the logic of those who "reckon" our revolution to be the credit of the German intelligence. In fact, nothing could dispel this myth about Bolsheviks, who allegedly were German spies, easier than the main proof, the main accusation against Lenin – the predatory Peace Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. We need to take a closer look at the sequence of events during the negotiations in order to understand whose tunes the leaders of the Russian Revolution were dancing to. Then a lot will be clearer and more understandable…
Which were the outside forces that were playing their game on the territory of the Russian Republic swept over by chaos?[39] These were Germany and the Entente. The historical pulse rate was twice as high as usual at that time. The terrible World War 1 was approaching its end, while nobody wanted to lose. The Entente was ready to put its last but strongest trump card on the table – the military involvement of the USA. The history gave the last chance to Germany too. It was a long chance, but it did exist. This chance supposed immediate peace treaty with Russia, withdrawal of all the troops from the occupied territories, and the speediest troop projection to the west, the main strike against the British and the French forces, before the American forces appeared in the theatre of operation. This was the most important condition of World War 1 ending in a draw for Germany. Germany could not win.
The novelty of the Bolsheviks' peace proposal was not that they were the first to start talking about a peace treaty, it was the way how they proposed it. Having published his Decree on Peace, Lenin demanded that Commander-in-Chief General Dukhonin immediately made a truce agreement with the Germans. Dukhonin refused and was unseated by the Sovnarkom[40] and then killed by the amok sailors.[41] The warrant officer Krylenko was appointed for this position. The new commander-in-chief suggested that the Russian military small units should make truce agreements with each specific confronting enemy unit. This was getting odd. If Bolsheviks are the German agents, why are they trying to provoke the German forces to breach the chain of command? The questions regarding peace and war were being discussed not by the soldiers in a meeting, but by the generals in Berlin. If the German soldiers, sitting in the opposite trenches, are suggested peace, they might start to disobey the military authorities. One gets the impression that Bolsheviks don't want to make peace with the Germans, and that their goal is to create the following logical chain in the heads of the German soldiers: peace – generals and the Kaiser who don't want peace – breaking the regime which opposes peace.
Isn't this behaviour odd for the German spies? And the most important question is who would gain of this situation? The Entente, of course, Britain and France. We shall come across this surprising (as long as we don't understand its reasons) behaviour of the Leninists once again…
After having "realized" his mistake, Krylenko addressed the German military authorities with the truce proposal. Here we notice another odd thing. Germany needs peace like air. A successful German "agent" Ulyanov, who made an unexpectedly great success in Russia, suggests the truce, gearing up for the peace treaty. The decisions should be made at lightning speed. The German politicians and generals should be happy and open the bottles of champagne, and pour the sparkling wine into their glasses. Yet, everything turned out differently in the real world. The actual Commander-in-Chief of the German Army General Ludendorff calls the Commander of the Headquarters of the Eastern Front General Hoffmann and asks him just one question, "Is it possible to deal with the new Russian government?"[42]General Hoffmann gave him a positive answer, "The Leninists can be dealt with." Meanwhile, in his memoirs he shared his doubts with us, "I thought a lot whether it should have been better to waive the negotiations with Bolsheviks for the German government… By giving Bolsheviks the possibility to end the war and thus to satisfy the Russian people's yearning for peace, we have practically helped them to keep the power."[43]
And it is not only the fate of Russia, but also the future of Germany that is at stake. One can't help saying, "You should have thought first!" These questions should have been discussed before Lenin was sent to Russia. If he really is a "German agent," of course. There is another aspect of this question. There is no other government in Russia except the government of Bolsheviks, and no other government is in view. Germany needs peace. And there are no other authorities than the Sovnarkom that the peace treaty could be signed with. Is here anything else to think about?
Coming back from the brown study, the Germans agree to the negotiations with the Bolsheviks. The Austrians implore the Germans to "satisfy Russia as soon as possible."[44]
The country of mazurkas and waltzes is running out of provisions, and the resoluteness of the Cabinet Council in Vienna disappears along with the bread and butter.
Brest-Litovsk occupied by the German troops is chosen as the place for the peace negotiations. The blindfolded empowered and authorized representatives of the Soviet Russia pass through the German lines of defence. The first step to the global peace has been taken. It's time to take the second and the third steps to stop the carnage as soon as possible…
Let's stop for a minute and speculate. The modern historical studies have just two explanations of Bolsheviks' further actions. The first, "Soviet," point of view reads that Lenin's desire for global peace was so great, and the Germans' desire to "grab" the Russian territories was so strong that the Peace Treaty was the result of these two straight lines crossing. The Peace Treaty was predatory and thuggish, and Russia lost a significant part of its territory. Due to the shortage of forces in the young "Red" Republic Bolsheviks reluctantly had to sign it. The second, more modern point of view reads that Lenin paid the Germans for the "sealed railway car" and their financial support for the destruction of the Russian state. Both versions are good, and both have been refined by many writers and historians to a high level of excellence.
However,
On September 1 (Old Style), Alexander Kerensky at his own decision proclaimed Russia a republic. By doing so he encroached the rights of the All-Russian Constituent Assembly, which had to decide what form of government Russia would have. Indeed, Michael Romanov abdicated from the throne temporarily until the Constituent Assembly made the decision. In case the majority of the delegates wished to restore the monarchy, he would accept the throne again. Most likely, the naive Romanov imagined this was going to happen. As you can see, Kerensky actively supported the forces, interested in the legitimate power liquidation. The course of the political events would be as follows: Kerensky unlawfully declared Russia a republic, the Provisional Government would be broken up by Bolsheviks, as well as the Constituent Assembly. Which power is the legitimate one? What form of the government is legitimate? This is exactly the situation when a war of all against all would start, which is beneficial for all geopolitical opponents of Russia.
Translator's note: Sovnarkom stands for the Soviet of People's Commissars.
The body of General Dukhonin raised on the bayonets unwittingly gave birth to a horrible proverb from the Civil War, "To send to Dukhonin" would mean to kill, to shoot down. When Krylenko's troop trains with revolutionary sailors arrived to the General Headquarters, Dukhonin gave an order not to make any resistance. All the Russian generals tried to avoid the Civil War in every possible way. And to a large extent, that was exactly why the Civil War broke out.
Shatsillo V. World War 1. 1914–1918. Facts and Documents. M.: Olma-Press, 2003. P. 356
Shatsillo V. World War 1. 1914–1918. Facts and Documents. M.: Olma-Press, 2003. P. 356
Ib.
