Despite encouraging news from the Western Front, Ludendorff and Hindenburg knew that they could not act in complete disregard of the civilian authorities in the Reich. On 18 May after an urgent intercession by Chancellor Hertling, Ludendorff agreed to halt the Finno-German march on Petrograd.58 As in Japan, civilian political control asserted itself as a basic safety catch against the more radical fantasies of the German imperialists. Despite its odious reputation and fragile legitimacy, the Brest-Litovsk Treaty served as the main line of defence against a further radicalization of the war.
...more
