Parted red curtains; in the center, in a trench, a German soldier, eyes closed, hands in overcoat pockets, leans against one side of a trench, smoking a pipe, his rifle resting on the other side of the trench. To the right, a Red soldier, red from red fur hat to red boots, holds two rifles. To the left, a Russian soldier casts away his his hat, backpack, and rifle. Across the bottom of the stage it reads, 1918. Operett: "Trockij", Operetta Trotsky. A watercolor postcard by Schima Martos.

1918. Operett: "Trockij", Operetta Trotsky

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Friday, January 4, 1918

". . . if the Russians do break off negotiations, it will place us in a very unpleasant position. The only way to save the situation is by acting quickly and energetically with the Ukrainian delegation, and we therefore commenced this work on the afternoon of the same day. There is thus at least a hope that we may be able to arrive at positive results with them within reasonable time.

In the evening, after dinner, came a wire from Petersburg announcing the arrival of the delegation, including the Foreign Minister, Trotzky. It was interesting to see the delight of all the Germans at the news; not until this sudden and violent outbreak of satisfaction was it fully apparent how seriously they had been affected by the thought that the Russians would not come. Undoubtedly this was a great step forward, and we all feel that peace is really now on the way."

Quotation Context

Excerpt from the entry for January 4, 1918 by Count Ottokar Czernin in his In the World War, on the stalemate at the Brest-Litovsk peace conference between Russia and the Central Powers. The Russians feared that Germany and Austria-Hungary would recognize the independence of nations — such as Poland and Ukraine — within what had been the Russian Empire. The Germans and Austrians were prepared to do so if they had no Russian negotiating partner, but clearly preferred working with the Russians. Russian leader Vladimir Lenin was concerned that the delegation as initially constituted was not up to the task, and sent Leon Trotsky to lead it.

Source

In the World War by Count Ottokar Czernin, page 257, copyright © 1920, by Harper & Brothers, publisher: Harper and Brothers, publication date: 1920

Tags

1918-01-04, 1918, January, Brest-Litovsk, Trotsky, Leon Trotsky