THE PEACE TREATY OF BREST-LITOVSK IN HISTORICAL RETROSPECTIVE

Abstract

The topic of study is important due to the expediency of drawing the attention of historians to the facts showing that separated Peace Treaty between the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the states of the Fourth Alliance was a strategic defeat of Ukraine. The Bolshevik October coup of 1917 created a unique opportunity for Ukraine to become an independent state. The solution to this problem rested in hands of people and nation leaders of Ukraine in extremely tough and crucial times. However, no talented strategists assessed Ukraine’s position from the point of view of the state prospects and off ered the right historical choice. Not wishing to support the “imperialist” plans of the Entente, sheltering behind demagogic slogans of universal peace, the socialist leaders of the Ukrainian Central Council decided, it would be better to withdraw Ukraine from the war ensuring stability and peace in its territory. Under such circumstance the Ukrainian People’s Republic signed a separate peace treaty with the states of the Fourth Alliance and in fact became its ally. Consequently, the Entente started treating Ukraine as a country of a hostile camp and corresponding policy was pursued at the Paris Peace Conference. The fatal decision led to the future loss of national statehood of Ukraine, which in the historical perspective had tragic consequences to the Ukrainian people. Our study in a long run calls for a thorough historical analysis of all circumstances associated with a change in foreign policy of the Ukrainian Central Council and its consequences, critical rethinking of past experience in connection with current problems of the implementation of Ukraine’s foreign policy, as well as consideration of mistakes and miscalculations of the diplomatic struggle.