The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk: Germany's Eastern Gamble

In Episode 109 of The History of Germany, Lucas and Luna explore the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk — the peace deal that took Russia out of World War I and gave Germany a brief, brutal empire in the East. They unpack the negotiations at Brest-Litovsk fortress, the role of Leon Trotsky, the clash between Lenin's desire for peace at any cost and Germany's hunger for land, and the treaty's harsh terms that stripped Russia of Ukraine, Poland, and the Baltics. They also examine how this 'bread peace' backfired: it tied up German troops in occupation, fueled nationalist resistance, and collapsed within nine months. The episode touches on figures like Max Hoffmann, Paul von Hintze, and Richard von Kühlmann, and traces how the treaty's legacy fed into the geopolitics of the interwar period, from the Ukrainian Hetmanate to the rise of paramilitary Freikorps in the Baltic. A focused look at a turning point that is often overshadowed by the Western Front but shaped Germany's war aims, its collapse, and the map of Eastern Europe for decades. #BrestLitovsk #WWI #EasternFront #Germany #Russia #Lenin #Trotsky #Ukraine #Poland #BalticStates #TreatyOfBrestLitovsk #MaxHoffmann #PaulvonHintze #GeneralOberOst #BreadPeace #Freikorps #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo