Leon Trotsky: Declaration

[From the (British) Daily Review of the Foreign Press, 15 February, 1918, p. 877. Proceedings of the Brest-Litovsk Peace Conference. Washington 1918, p. 171-173]

Russian Wireless sends out the following:

The peace negotiations, Brest-Litovsk, Feb. 10.

At the session of Feb. 10 the following declaration was made:

Trotsky: – .

“The object of the Sub-Commission, as we understood it, was to give us a reply to the question to what degree the new frontier, as proposed by the opposite side, would guarantee the right of the Russian people for self-determination. We have listened to the communication made by our representatives in the Sub-Commission, and we believe that, after long discussions, the moment has come for taking a decision.

The peoples are awaiting with impatience the results of the peace negotiations at Brest-Litovsk. The various peoples are asking themselves when this self-extermination of mankind – a result of selfishness and will for domination on the part of all governing classes of all countries – will be stopped. The war ceased long ago to be a defensive war. When Great Britain takes African colonies, Bagdad, and Jerusalem, then that is certainly not a defensive war. When Germany occupies Serbia, Belgium, Poland, Lithuania, and Roumania, and captures the Moon Islands, then that also is not defensive war. That is a struggle for the partition of the globe. At the present this fact must be obvious to all. In the present Imperialism war, when the ambitions of the possessing classes are openly paid for with human blood, we will take no longer any part.

We are equally hostile to the Imperialism on both sides, and we do not agree to shed any longer the blood of our soldiers in the defense of the one side against the other. In awaiting the moment – we hope it is near – when all the oppressed working classes of all countries will take in their own hands the authority, as the working people of Russia have already done, we are removing our armies and our peoples from the war. Our peasant soldiers must return to their land to cultivate in peace the field which the Revolution has taken from the landlords and given to the peasants. Our workmen soldiers must return to the workshops and produce, not for destruction, but for creation. They must, together with the peasants, create a Socialistic State.

We are going out of the war. We inform all peoples and their Governments of this fact. We are giving the order for a general demobilization of all armies opposed at the present to the troops of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria. We are waiting in the strong belief that other peoples will soon follow our example.

At the same time we declare that the conditions as submitted to us by the Governments of Germany and Austria-Hungary are opposed in principle to the interests of all peoples. These conditions are refused by the working masses of all countries, amongst them by those of Austria-Hungary and Germany.

The peoples of Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Courland, and Esthonia consider these conditions as a violation of their will. To the Russian people these conditions mean a permanent threat. The masses of the people of the whole world, led by their political intelligence or by their moral instinct, are refusing these conditions. In awaiting the day when the working masses of all countries will establish their own conditions of peaceful intercourse and fraternal collaboration between peoples, we decline to sanction these conditions which the German and Austro-Hungarian imperialism is dictating to the peoples. We can not place the signature of the Russian Revolution under these conditions which bring with them oppression, misery, and hate to millions of human beings. The Governments of Germany and Austro-Hungary are determined to possess lands and peoples by might. Let them do so openly. We can not approve violence. We are going out of war, but we feel ourselves compelled to refuse to sign the peace treaty.

In connection with this I give to the Allied Delegation the following written and signed declaration:

In the name of the Council of the People’s Commissaries, the Government of the Russian Federal Republic informs the Governments and peoples involved in war against us, the Allied and neutral countries, that, in refusing to sign a peace of annexation, Russia declares, on its side, the state of war with Germany, Austro-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria as ended.

The Russian troops are receiving at the same time an order for a general demobilization on all lines of the fronts.

Brest-Litovsk, February 10,1918.

L. Trotsky,

President of the Russian Peace Delegation, People’’s Commissary for Foreign Affairs.

A. Bicenko,

W. Karelin,

Members of the Delegation.

A. Joffe,

M. Pokrovsky,

People's Commissary for State Properties.

W. Medvediev,

President of the All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee of the Councils.

Shakhray,

People's Secretary for War of the Ukrainian Republic.

L. Karahan,

Secretary of the Delegation."