Collected Works of V. I. Lenin - Vol. 26 - From Marx to Mao

564 NOTESorganisations in Moscow, Petrograd, the Urals, etc. The MoscowRegional Bureau of the R.S.D.L.P.(B.), where the Left Communiststemporarily had a majority, adopted a resolution on December 28,1917 (January 10, 1918), demanding that the talks with Germanyshould be broken off. Trotsky, who led the Soviet delegation atthe second stage of the peace talks, adopted the provocative attitudewhich was summed up in his statement: “No peace, no war,army demobilised.” Trotsky and the Left Communists were imposinga policy on the Party which led to the destruction of theSoviet state.On January 8 (21), 1918, Lenin gave an elaborate substantiationof the need for a peace in his “Theses on the Question of theImmediate Conclusion of a Separate and Annexationist Peace”(see pp. 442- 50 and Note 161). But the Central Committee was notunanimous on the question of peace. Lenin only succeeded inobtaining a decision to prolong the talks. When the Soviet delegationwas leaving for Brest- Litovsk, Lenin instructed Trotsky todrag out the talks to the utmost, but to sign a peace treaty in theevent of a German ultimatum.The talks were resumed on January 17 (30). On January 27(February 9), the delegation of the Austro- German bloc concludeda secret treaty with the representatives of the bourgeois- nationalistCentral Ukrainian Rada, which actually gave Germany leaveto plunder the Ukraine. Having thus reinforced its position, theGerman delegation, at the sittings on January 27 and 28 (February9 and 10), demanded that the talks be speeded up. On January 28(February 10), the Soviet delegation asked for instructions andLenin reaffirmed his earlier instructions (see p. 517). However,Trotsky treacherously disobeyed these instructions and issueda statement at Brest- Litovsk to the effect that Soviet Russiawould not sign a peace treaty would discontinue the war, andwould demobilise the army. This led to a break- down of the talks.On February 18, the Germans started an offensive along the wholefront .At the morning sittings of the Central Committee on February17 and 18, Lenin’s proposal that talks should be started withGermany right away received a minority of votes. Lenin firstsecured a majority in favour of signing a peace treaty at the eveningsitting of the Central Committee urgently called on February18, following a sharp and protracted struggle against Trotskyand the Left Communists, when the German offensive had becomea fact.On the morning of February 19 a wireless message was sentto the German Government stating the Soviet Government’s readinessto sign a peace on the German terms set forth at Brest- Litovsk(see p. 525). The German Command took its time, while its troopscontinued to advance along the whole front, and within a weekoccupied a number of cities and came within striking distance ofPetrograd.The German Command’s reply, received on February 23, containedeven more onerous terms. The intense struggle continued