Brest-Litovsk the Forgotten Peace, March 1918

by John Wheeler-Bennett

Brest-Litovsk the Forgotten Peace, March 1918

Genres: History, Russia, Germany, War, Nonfiction, World War I

478 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1938

About the author

Sir John Wheeler Wheeler-Bennett GCVO CMG OBE FBA FRSL was a conservative English historian of German and diplomatic history, and the official biographer of King George VI. He was well known in his lifetime, and his interpretation of the role of the German Army influenced a number of British historians.

Reviews

[Rhuff · Rating 5 out of 5]

"We must look the truth in the face."

So said Lenin in pleading for endorsement of this "Tilsit Peace" before the Soviet Government. John W. Wheeler-Bennett presents an eloquent but direct exposition of the "appeasing" treaty between Imperial Germany and the new Soviet state. Ironically it was first published in 1938, in the era of Munich, and on the eve of a more notorious - and remembered - treaty between Russia and Germany. Despite the tortured, twisting rhetoric of Lenin's address - obviously delivered under great stress - he was essentially right. Russia's inability to win its side of WW I was hammered home long before the Revolution and was, in fact, the main factor in producing it.

Ironic also in that Trotsky opposed both treaties, of 1918 and 1939, and for the same reasons of revolutionary principle. But whereas Lenin could overlook this dissidence (as well as tolerating cries of "Liar!" from his listening audience) this was of course unthinkable to his successor. The facts of Brest belie the legend of Lenin as German agent; in truth the counter-revolution was more inclined to accept German help to smash the new regime. The Western Allies' fear was that its signing would free thousands of German troops to march to the Western front. The reality was that these forces had to remain in the east to hold down these "liberated territories," like the Baltic and Ukraine, to ensure the confiscation and delivery of targeted resources for the army.

The book contains valuable appendices of the Treaty itself, its various annexes pressed by Germany to turn the screws tighter, and the full text of Lenin's speech. What saved Russia from strangling in this noose was the eventual war-weariness of Germany itself, leading to the German Revolution a year later and the army's suit for armistice. Ironic also that Germans were saddled with their own own Treaty of Versailles, subjected to conditions like Brest; bitterly resented, of course, when forced upon themselves.

The Brest Treaty can be seen as visualizing the entirety of Russian history in the 20th century. The Stalin-Hitler "pact" 21 years later was rationalized by the same necessity of a "breathing space" and Western "betrayal." Some can interpret Gorbachev's "capitulation" to NATO in the same light: certainly the Kaiser's successors on the continent have inserted themselves into the same coveted terrain, for the same geo-political and economic motives. Reading Wheeler-Bennett's account reminds us a forgotten past will always return.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is very easy to read some history and get some what-if questions popping up. What if Caesar wasn’t murdered? What if the south won the American civil war? What if the treaty of Versaille had been more lenient? Usually the discussions surrounding those kind of questions are wildly speculative without much foundation. But for everyone who ever asked themselves ”if Germany and the other central powers won the first world war what treaty would they have forced upon the allies” the treaty of Brest-Litovsk provides a good taste of what it would have been. For even with how harsh the Versaille treaty was, the treaty of Brest-Litovsk is certainly in the same ball park and arguably way more harsh even if far less detailed. (Hitler, and many Germans at the time, did certainly not agree with this assessment though.) This book goes in depth into the negotiations and the strategic considerations of all parties with a focus on the German and Russian side for reasons explained in the book.
The treaty of Brest-Litovsk only existed for a little more than half a year before it was abolished as one of the terms of the armistice between the allies and Germany. So it is easy to understand why the Versaille treaty is more discussed as the historical repercussions of Versaille is huge. But the treaty of Brest-Litovsk was arguably the final straw to break for any chance of a negotiated peace between the central powers and the allies since the treaty violated so many of the principles of the american president Wilson’s plan for such a peace and when Germany complained about the Versaille treaty the allies simply pointed their fingers at the treaty of Brest-Litovsk. So Brest-Litovsk lay the groundwork for Versaille.
”The Forgotten Peace” is certainly not the first book to read on the first world war. It is a close view of the negotiations at Brest-Litovsk and the strategic-political discussions and conflicts among the higher-ups on respective side. Wheeler-Bennett is happy to give his opinion of the characters involved. He has for example great admiration for the strategic-political understanding of Lenin and the German general Hoffmann, even though his political opinions is not aligned to theirs, but nothing but contempt for kaiser Wilhelm II and the most radical elements among the bolsheviks who proposed revolutionary war against the Germans instead of signing the peace treaty. He also conveys a pretty good understanding of the broader situation and events in the respective countries, but the focus is certainly much more narrow.

It is a book which has few readers since it covers a peace treaty which is in the shadow of the Versailles treaty, on the eastern front which attracts far less attention than its western counterpart in a war which receives far less press than the second world war 20 years later in a world enraptured with moving images. With all those hurdles I can understand why it doesn’t have more readers, but in its limited scope it is a highly informative and enjoyable book.

[Donald Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superbly written account of one of the almost invariably overlooked key turning points of the First World War.

[Richard Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with his book on the German army between the wars, this is till the book of first resort on the subject.