This treaty was agreed on 3 March 1918, between the newly established Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire). The peace talks had begun on 22 December 1918, after Russia's new Bolshevik government had issued the Decree on Peace on 8 November 1917, calling for an end to hostilities.
The treaty was extremely harsh for Russia, and it angered the Allies for several reasons:
1. Territorial Losses: Russia was forced to cede vast territories to the Central Powers. These included Poland, Ukraine, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and parts of Armenia and Georgia. This amounted to about 25% of Russia's pre-war territory and 35% of its population.
2. Economic Consequences: The treaty imposed heavy economic burdens on Russia. It had to pay large amounts of reparations to the Central Powers, and it lost access to important industrial and agricultural regions.
3. Political Implications: The treaty weakened Russia's position in international affairs and allowed Germany to focus its resources on the Western Front. It also undermined the Allied cause by removing one of the major participants in the war.
4. Betrayal of the Allied Cause: The Allies felt betrayed by Russia's decision to sign a separate peace treaty with the Central Powers. They had been counting on Russia to continue fighting until the end, and they were surprised and disappointed by the Bolshevik government's decision to abandon the war.
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was eventually annulled by the Allies after the end of World War I in November 1918. However, the territorial changes and economic consequences of the treaty had a profound impact on Russian history and played a role in the Russian Civil War that followed.