The first statement of the second All-Russia congress of Soviets was the Decree on peace passed in October, 25 1917. All belligerent nations and their governments were suggested to start immediate negotiations on just democratic peace and concluding an armistice. Accomplishing of this task was assigned to the National commissariat of foreign affairs, headed by L.D.Trotsky.
Simultaneously the supreme Commander-in-Chief of the army in the field general N.N.Duhonin was commissioned to address to " the command of the enemies armies " with a suggestion of immediate armistice with a view of opening of peace talks ". However, general Duhonin declared that he supported signing of the prompt universal peace, but " the peace necessary for Russia might have been guaranteed only by the central government ". In response the government of RSR in November 9 dismissed general Duhonin from the post of the supreme Commander-in-Chief for refusal " to enter into immediate formal peace negotiations " with Germany.
The ensign N.V.Krylenko was appointed the new Commander-in-Chief. On the 13th of November he assigned truce envoys for negotiations with the German Command. The Chiefs of allied military missions at the Headquarters (except for the USA) noted a protest against the breach of the contract, concluded by the Tzar's government with allies in August 23, 1914, and the separate armistice between Russia and Germany. November 20, 1917 N.V.Krylenko at the head of a consolidated detachment arrived at Mogilyov, location of the Headquarters. General Duhonin, aiming to avoid bloodshed, had on the eve released imprisoned in Bykhov arrested generals L.G.Kornilov, A.I.Denikin etc., ordered shock battalions to leave the city, and himself was killed by Red Guards.
Next day the contract of temporary cessation of arms between the command of Austro-German armies and the Russian Western front was signed, and on the 2nd of December Russia and the countries of the Quadruple union (Bulgaria, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey) signed an armistice.The governments of the powers of Entente refused to admit the Provisional Workers' and Peasants' Government of the Soviet Russia. At the conference in Paris on the 9th of December 1917 the representatives of Entente agreed upon the establishment of communication with the separate governments of Caucasus, Siberia, Ukraine and the Cossack areas.
Great Britain and France signed the agreement named " Conditions of the convention coordinated in Paris in December, 23, 1917 ". It provided the supervision by the French zone of actions of Ukraine, Bessarabia and Crimea, and by the English - Caucasus and the Cossack areas. January 1, 1918 the military ships of Japan entered the port of Vladivostok on the far East with the purpose of protection of own residents. January, 8 the president of the USA W.Wilson sent a message to the congress (" Wilson's 14 items "). It provided the necessity of evacuation of German armies from the Russian territory, acknowledgement of de facto existing governments of Finland, Estonia, Lithuania and Ukraine, convocation of national assemblies in these republics. In the message it was pointed out, that it was necessary " to provide for Great Russia an opportunity of federal integration with them '. |
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