Quotulatiousness

September 27, 2026

Harsher than Versailles: The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk 1918

The Great War
Published 24 Apr 2026

On March 3, 1918 the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire) and Bolshevik Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, ending the First World War on the Eastern Front. The terms were harsher than those the Germans offered in December, and much harsher than the later Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was only in force until November 1918, when the Central Powers’ defeat nullified it. But it had a major impact inside and outside Russia.

» SOURCES
Булдаков, В. П. «Мечты о мировой революции и “похабный” мир». В: История России: в 20 т. / Ин-т российской истории РАН. Т. 11: Империя, война, революция. 1914–1917 годы. Кн. 2: От развала империи к Гражданской войне, 709–729. Наука, 2024.

Полторак, С. Н. Брест-Литовск: 100 лет истории переговоров о мире. Проспект, 2023.

Afflerbach, Holger. On a Knife Edge: How Germany Lost the First World War. Cambridge University Press, 2022.

Herwig, Holger H. The First World War: Germany and Austria-Hungary 1914–1918. Bloomsbury, 2014.

Engelstein, Laura. Russia in Flames: War, Revolution, Civil War, 1914–1921. Oxford University Press, 2018.

Ludendorff, Erich. Concise Ludendorff Memoirs 1914-1918. Hutchinson and Co, 1935.

Mawdsley, Evan. The Russian Civil War. Pegasus, 2007.

Williams, Ariadna Tyrkova. From Liberty to Brest-Litovsk: the First Year of the Russian Revolution. Macmillan, 1919.

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Wheeler-Bennett, John. Brest-Litovsk: the Forgotten Peace, March 1918. Macmillan, 1938 (1963).

»CREDITS
Presented by: Jesse Alexander
Written by: Jesse Alexander
Director: Toni Steller
Editing: Toni Steller
Motion Design: Toni Steller
Mixing, Mastering & Sound Design: http://above-zero.com
Research by: Jesse Alexander
Fact checking: Florian Wittig
Executive Producer: Florian Wittig
Channel Design: Yves Thimian

Contains licensed material by getty images, AP and Reuters
Maps: MapTiler/OpenStreetMap Contributors & GEOlayers3

All photos and film in our documentaries are authentic historical footage. We do not use generative AI to create new assets. However, we may use AI tools to upscale or clean up certain assets without distorting or compromising the original image.

All rights reserved – Real Time History GmbH 2026

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