ers, a meeting of delegates was called to
arrange the terms of peace. The negotiations at this place lasted from
December 23, 1917, to February 10, 1918. The Germans had determined to
keep large portions of Russian territory. At the conference the German
delegates flatly refused to promise to withdraw their troops from the
occupied parts of Russia after the peace. By February 10 hope of any
settlement that would satisfy Russia had disappeared and the Bolshevik
delegates left Brest-Litovsk. The war, so far as Russia was concerned,
was at an end, but no treaty of peace had been signed. The Bolshevik
government issued orders for the complete demobilization of the Russian
armies on all the battle fronts.

Germany, determined to compel Russia to accept her terms, renewed her
military operations on February 18. The result was that Lenine and
Trotzky, the Bolshevik leaders, were forced to agree to the conditions
which had been laid down by the Central Powers at Brest-Litovsk.
Nevertheless the Germans continued their advance, with practically no
opposition, to within seventy miles of Petrograd.

THE SEPARATION OF UKRAINIA AND FINLAND.--Ukrainia, the southwestern
corner of Russia, is the home of a Slavic people--the Little
Russians--closely akin to the Russians proper. The people of Finland, in
the extreme northwest, are of a distinctly different race. In both
these regions there were set up independent governments which resisted
the rule of the Bolsheviki. With the aid of German troops the power of
the Bolsheviki in the new states was soon destroyed. Through the setting
up of these states, particularly Ukrainia, Germany hoped to secure grain
supplies, and to control large iron and coal deposits. Dissatisfaction
of the people with German control, however, interfered seriously with
the realizing of such hopes.

[Illustration: TREATY OF BREST-LITOVSK States and Provinces taken from
Russia]

THE PEACE OF BREST-LITOVSK.--On March 3 peace between Russia and the
Central Powers was finally signed at Brest-Litovsk. By the terms of the
treaties Russia was compelled (1) to surrender her western provinces of
Poland, Lithuania, Livonia, Esthonia, and Courland; (2) to recognize the
independence of Ukrainia and Finland; (3) to cede to Turkey certain
important districts south of the Caucasus Mountains;[5] and (4) to pay
a tremendous indemnity. The falsity of the German talk of "no
annexations and no indemnities" was now evident. Few more d