32. Peace¶
Core Argument¶
Chapter 32: Peace¶
Following the October Revolution, the demand for immediate peace at any price was overwhelming among the soldiers, who had largely abandoned the trenches. Both Lenin and Trotsky agreed that continuing the war was impossible, but they clashed sharply over tactics. Trotsky proposed a political demonstration at Brest-Litovsk: declare the war over and demobilise the army, but refuse to sign the peace treaty. This would expose the enmity between the Bolsheviks and German imperialism, undermining Allied propaganda about a secret Bolshevik-German alliance. If the Germans then attacked, the Bolsheviks could capitulate under obvious duress. Lenin considered this too risky; the survival of the Russian revolution was paramount.
The party’s leading bodies were overwhelmingly hostile to signing the peace. At a meeting on 21 January, Bukharin’s revolutionary war faction won 32 votes, Trotsky’s ‘neither war nor peace’ formula won 16, and Lenin’s call for immediate capitulation won 15. The Central Committee adopted Trotsky’s proposal on 22 January. On 10 February, Trotsky made the declaration at Brest-Litovsk. The German delegation initially seemed to accept the de facto peace, but on 18 February they announced the resumption of hostilities. Lenin insisted on immediate capitulation.
At the party congress in March, Lenin and Trotsky had agreed to hold out until a German ultimatum, then surrender. Trotsky clarified that by ‘ultimatum’ he meant an actual German offensive, not merely a verbal statement. When the German high command gave notice of the truce’s expiry, Lenin pressed the agreement. On 17 February, the Central Committee voted on whether to sign peace if a German offensive occurred without a German revolution; Bukharin and his followers abstained. Trotsky initially voted against immediately telegraphing surrender, but after reports confirmed the German offensive, he voted for Lenin’s telegram. On 21 February, Germany presented harsher terms. Lenin briefly considered fighting but decided to persist with peace. Trotsky abstained from voting to give Lenin a one-vote majority. Trotsky resigned as commissar for foreign affairs to signal policy change to the Germans. On 22 February, Trotsky proposed accepting French and British military aid; Lenin supported him, and the Central Committee adopted the resolution. The peace treaty was signed on 3 March.
Trotsky argued that immediate surrender in November would have lost propagandist opportunities, while delaying until the offensive proved no other way existed. Liebknecht initially condemned the policy but later recognised its correctness in gaining time. Trotsky rejected the later caricature of his ‘no peace, no war’ formula, noting such relations exist with the US, Britain, and Romania. He stated that Stalin had no position at the time, merely calculating and joining Lenin on the deciding vote. Trotsky publicly acknowledged Lenin’s foresight in October 1918.