Harsher than Versailles: The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk 1918 (Documentary)

On March 3, 1918 the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire) and Bolshevik Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, ending the First World War on the Eastern Front. The terms were harsher than those the Germans offered in December, and much harsher than the later Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was only in force until November 1918, when the Central Powers’ defeat nullified it. But it had a major impact inside and outside Russia. » SUPPORT THE CHANNEL Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/realtimehistory Nebula: https://nebula.tv/the-great-war » THANKS TO OUR CO-PRODUCERS Mike Gloudemans, George Durrett, Luis Gonzalez, Mike Cumings, Jr., Charles Shananaquet II, Joel Sanchez, shane cawthon, Andrew Thomas Mooney, Chris Rohde, Bruce D, Jim Frame, Glenn Sugden, Lisa Anderson, George Haramundanis, G S, Kempf Mario, jhgBo8jigr hzufjkl, Gayle Elizabeth, Glenn G Webb, Stephen D Nugent PsyD, Daniel L Garza, Chris Daley, Simen Røste, Amy Williams, Jim F Barlow, Taylor Allen, Adam Smith, Josh Bruder, Konstantin Bredyuk, Richard L Benkin, Matt, Rob Carle, Murray Godfrey, Jan, Gage Manthey, Theodore Patrick Shannon, Bruce G. Hearns, Stephanie Schindhelm, Paul Wilcox, Brad Durbin, Fogeltje, » SOURCES Булдаков, В. П. «Мечты о мировой революции и “похабный” мир». В: История России: в 20 т. / Ин-т российской истории РАН. Т. 11: Империя, война, революция. 1914–1917 годы. Кн. 2: От развала империи к Гражданской войне, 709–729. Наука, 2024. Полторак, С. Н. Брест-Литовск: 100 лет истории переговоров о мире. Проспект, 2023. Afflerbach, Holger. On a Knife Edge: How Germany Lost the First World War. Cambridge University Press, 2022. Herwig, Holger H. The First World War: Germany and Austria-Hungary 1914–1918. Bloomsbury, 2014. Engelstein, Laura. Russia in Flames: War, Revolution, Civil War, 1914–1921. Oxford University Press, 2018. Ludendorff, Erich. Concise Ludendorff Memoirs 1914-1918. Hutchinson and Co, 1935. Mawdsley, Evan. The Russian Civil War. Pegasus, 2007. Williams, Ariadna Tyrkova. From Liberty to Brest-Litovsk: the First Year of the Russian Revolution. Macmillan, 1919. Kennan, George. Russia Leaves the War. Princeton University Press, 1956. Wheeler-Bennett, John. Brest-Litovsk: the Forgotten Peace, March 1918. Macmillan, 1938 (1963). » OUR SISTER CHANNEL https://nebula.tv/realtimehistory »CREDITS Presented by: Jesse Alexander Written by: Jesse Alexander Director: Toni Steller Editing: Toni Steller Motion Design: Toni Steller Mixing, Mastering & Sound Design: http://above-zero.com Research by: Jesse Alexander Fact checking: Florian Wittig Executive Producer: Florian Wittig Channel Design: Yves Thimian Contains licensed material by getty images, AP and Reuters Maps: MapTiler/OpenStreetMap Contributors & GEOlayers3 All photos and film in our documentaries are authentic historical footage. We do not use generative AI to create new assets. However, we may use AI tools to upscale or clean up certain assets without distorting or compromising the original image. All rights reserved - Real Time History GmbH 2026