But despite this triumphalism, by the spring of 1918 not even a victorious peace of stupendous dimensions could restore the national unity that had launched the German war effort in August 1914. The USPD denounced Brest as a Peace of Violation (Vergewaltigungsfrieden). For the SPD, the once loyal Eduard David spoke fiercely against the short-sightedness of the Kaiser’s government. Germany had gambled away a unique opportunity to found a lasting new order in eastern Europe. ‘The grand perspective of arriving at a friendly neighbourly relationship with all of eastern Europe encompassing both
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