March 2, 2026

Was This the Worst Peace Treaty Ever? | Brest-Litovsk (1918)

Was This the Worst Peace Treaty Ever? | Brest-Litovsk (1918)

108 years ago, Lenin signed one of the most punishing peace treaties in modern history.

In this 10-minute Buffs in Brief, Antonia Senior and Roger Moorhouse examine the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk — the deal that took Russia out of the First World War but stripped it of Ukraine, the Baltic states, Finland, and a third of its population.

Why did the Bolsheviks accept such draconian terms?
Did it shape the Treaty of Versailles?
And are there echoes of Brest-Litovsk in today’s geopolitics?

📚 Books mentioned:

  • The Forgotten Peace – John Wheeler-Bennett

  • The Eastern Front – Nick Lloyd

  • Russia: Revolution and Civil War – Antony Beevor

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