Treaty of Brest-Litovsk - Opposition

• The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk is another good example of the tension between Marxist ideology and practical considerations which Lenin and the Sovnarkom had to deal with.
• Lenin decided to sacrifice the international revolution in the interests of preserving the Bolshevik revolution in Russia.

  • The left SRs, who Lenin had allowed to the Sovnarkom in 1917, resigned in protest.
• As a result of the discontent and opposition which the Treaty aroused in Russia, there was an assassination attempt on Lenin by a left SR which left him badly wounded in the neck.

  • The level of opposition to the treaty from across the political spectrum in Russia, including former Kadets and conservatives meant that a Civil War was now inevitable.