Whcn thc Bolshcviks seizcd powcr in Russia in Novcmbcr 19171 theFirst World War had alrcady been approaching its fourth ycar. Although thcRussian armics had controllcd thc regions of Transcaucasia and part of eastcrnAnatolia since 1916, on thc Europcan borders of Russia thc control vvas inthe hands of the Central Powcrs. Tlıe armics of Gcrınany and Austro-Hungaryhad invadcd Russian Poland and had rcached thc borders of thc Ukrainc.It was not a surprise that the urgent task which the ncw regime inPctrograd set for itsclf vvas that of pcacc. Thc Russian pcoplc wcrc wcary offighıing. After four years of war there was a vvidcsprcad cry for pcace amongthc Russian population. Thc soldiers particularly wantcd to return to thcirhomes. In Lenin's words, "the soldiers arc tircd out, thc soldiers arebarcfootcd, thc soldiers arc starving, thc soldiers do not want to fight".2 It isonly logical in this context to understand vvhy in thc days prcccding theNovembcr Rcvolution thc Bolshcviks had promiscd pcacc.