In 1918, why did Lenin insist on making peace with Germany?

Lenin was anti-war from the onset of WWI. He argued that fighting the German Empire in the name of the Russian Empire was useless because it was as if they were defending one corrupt, capitalist nation from another corrupt, capitalist nation. read more

Lenin was anti-war from the onset of WWI. He argued that fighting the German Empire in the name of the Russian Empire was useless because it was as if they were defending one corrupt, capitalist nation from another corrupt, capitalist nation. So keep in mind that this is what Lenin was saying for years leading up to the revolution. read more

In December 1917, Germany agreed to an armistice and peace talks with Russia, and Lenin sent Leon Trotsky to Brest-Litovsk in Belarus to negotiate a treaty. The talks broke off after Germany demanded independence for Russian holdings in Eastern Europe, and in February 1918 fighting resumed on the eastern front. read more

→ Lenin thought that Russia had lost the war with Germany and that the only realistic goal was peace at any price. That price was very high. Germany demanded that the Soviet government give up all its western territories, and a third of old Russia's population was surrendered in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, signed with Germany in March 1918. read more