Treaty of Berlin (August 27, 1918)
Finally, the clauses of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk provided for the opening of new negotiations to reach agreement on the nature of future economic ties between the two countries.
[4] Consequently, in the spring of 1918, diplomatic relations were officially re-established between the Central Powers and the Council of People's Commissars, and ambassadors were exchanged between Moscow and Berlin.
The conclusion of peace with the power that emerged from the October Revolution not only allowed German war aims to be realized in Eastern Europe, but also authorized the Reich to pursue an active policy in Russia and neighboring regions, despite the uncertainties then surrounding the future of the Bolshevik regime.
[5] At a time when the Central Powers were victorious on the Eastern Front, some German officials aspired to see the Reich pursue an active policy in the new Russia.
Thus, Paul von Hintze, Secretary of State[Note 4] from July 9, 1918, wanted to achieve the war aims of 1914,[8] by relying on the Bolsheviks, the only political party opposed to the Triple Entente.
[9] Moreover, in a context marked by preparations for the post-war period, the Reich's leaders, betting on the maintenance of an Allied blockade after the conflict, attempted to establish trade relations with the Russian authorities.
[11] Parallel to the objectives set by members of the government and the military, representatives of the Reich's heavy industry set out their specific demands after a meeting in Düsseldorf; fearing that the Reich would be ousted from world markets after the conflict, they called for the establishment of a continental market, economically underdeveloped and therefore unlikely to find competition for German manufactured goods.
[13] Faced with a catastrophic political and economic situation, Lenin's government proposed the opening of negotiations with representatives of the central powers.
[12] The new Russian government delegated Adolf Joffe and Leonid Krasine, experienced Bolshevik militants, to defend the interests of the Moscow regime.
[14] As the Reich became increasingly exhausted in futile offensives, its negotiators quickly became more conciliatory towards the demands put forward by their Russian counterparts.
However, it did not escape Joffe, the main Russian negotiator, that concluding the agreement on the basis proposed by the Germans would strengthen the Reich's economic control over Russia, which had already been significant before the war.
[18] Accepting the regime put in place following the October Revolution, and acknowledging the economic interests of Bolshevik-ruled Russia, the Reich's leaders were the first to recognize the power of the Council of People's Commissars.
