Misplaced Pages

Operation Faustschlag

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

Soviet Russia exit from the war ( Treaty of Brest-Litovsk )

#930069

105-523: Central Powers Soviet republics [REDACTED] Imperial German Army [REDACTED] Austro-Hungarian Army [REDACTED] Ukrainian People's Army The Operation Faustschlag or Unternehmen Faustschlag ( lit.   ' Operation Fist Punch ' ), also known as the Eleven Days' War , was a Central Powers offensive in World War I . It was the last major offensive on

210-579: A general mobilization , Germany viewed the act as provocative. The Russian government promised Germany that its general mobilization did not mean preparation for war with Germany but was a reaction to the tensions between Austria-Hungary and Serbia. The German government regarded the Russian promise of no war with Germany to be nonsense in light of its general mobilization, and Germany, in turn, mobilized for war. On 1 August, Germany sent an ultimatum to Russia stating that since both Germany and Russia were in

315-737: A 116 to 85 vote in favour of the new German terms. The vote in the Central Committee was even closer, seven in favour and six against. In the end, Trotsky switched his vote and German terms were accepted; on 3 March, the Bolsheviks signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk . On 24 February, one day before the arrival of German troops to Tallinn , the Estonian Salvation Committee declared the independence of Estonia . German occupation authorities refused to recognize

420-492: A Russian Left Socialist-Revolutionary , Boris Mikhailovich Donskoy , with help from the local USRP succeeded in assassinating von Eichhorn , blowing him up in downtown Kiev at a broadlight. Due to the impending loss of World War I by Germany and Austria-Hungary , Skoropadsky's sponsors, the Hetman formed a new cabinet of Russian Monarchists and committed to federation with a possible future non-Bolshevik Russia. In response,

525-595: A diplomatic cover for an inevitable Austro-Hungarian declaration of war on Serbia. Russia had warned Austria-Hungary that the Russian government would not tolerate Austria-Hungary invading Serbia. However, with Germany supporting Austria-Hungary's actions, the Austro-Hungarian government hoped that Russia would not intervene and that the conflict with Serbia would remain a regional conflict. Austria-Hungary's invasion of Serbia resulted in Russia declaring war on

630-416: A formal ultimatum to Serbia demanding a full-scale investigation of Serbian government complicity in the assassination and complete compliance by Serbia in agreeing to the terms demanded by Austria-Hungary. Serbia submitted to accept most of the demands. However, Austria-Hungary viewed this as insufficient and used this lack of full compliance to justify military intervention. These demands have been viewed as

735-563: A general mobilization in expectation of war. On 3 August 1914, Germany responded to this action by declaring war on France. Germany, facing a two-front war, enacted what was known as the Schlieffen Plan , which involved German armed forces moving through Belgium and swinging south into France and towards the French capital of Paris . This plan was hoped to quickly gain victory against the French and allow German forces to concentrate on

840-672: A large part of the Volhynian territory were incorporated into Poland, while the areas to the east and south became part of Soviet Ukraine. After its military and political defeat, the Directorate continued to maintain control over some of its military forces. Preempting a planned invasion by its rival Archduke Wilhelm of Austria , in October 1921 the Ukrainian National Republic's government-in-exile launched

945-584: A major power in the Horn of Africa . Its ruler, Lij Iyasu , was widely suspected of harbouring pro-Islamic sentiments and being sympathetic to the Ottoman Empire. The German Empire also attempted to reach out to Iyasu, dispatching several unsuccessful expeditions to the region to attempt to encourage it to collaborate in an Arab Revolt -style uprising in East Africa. One of the unsuccessful expeditions

1050-503: A series of guerrilla raids into central Ukraine that reached as far east as Kiev Oblast . On 4 November, the Directorate's guerrillas captured Korosten and seized much military supplies. But on 17 November 1921, this force was surrounded by Bolshevik cavalry and destroyed. The following is the list of numerous uprisings that took place during the formation of the Ukrainian People's Republic. Some of them were in opposition to

1155-507: A state of military mobilization, an effective state of war existed between the two countries. Later that day, France , an ally of Russia, declared a state of general mobilization. In August 1914, Germany attacked Russia, citing Russian aggression as demonstrated by the mobilization of the Russian army, which had resulted in Germany mobilizing in response. After Germany declared war on Russia, France, with its alliance with Russia, prepared

SECTION 10

#1732776722931

1260-638: A successful Allied advance in Macedonia . The Ottoman Empire followed suit on 30 October 1918 in the face of British and Arab gains in Palestine and Syria . Austria and Hungary concluded ceasefires separately during the first week of November following the disintegration of the Habsburg Empire and the Italian offensive at Vittorio Veneto ; Germany signed the armistice ending the war on

1365-468: Is the most comical war I have ever known. We put a handful of infantrymen with machine guns and one gun onto a train and rush them off to the next station; they take it, make prisoners of the Bolsheviks, pick up few more troops, and so on. This proceeding has, at any rate, the charm of novelty. As the German offensive was ongoing, Trotsky returned to Petrograd. Most of the leadership still preferred continuing

1470-629: The Allies in 1915 and divided between French Togoland and British Togoland . The Jiaozhou Bay Leased Territory was a German dependency in East Asia leased from China in 1898. Japanese forces occupied it following the Siege of Tsingtao . German New Guinea was a German protectorate in the Pacific. It was occupied by Australian forces in 1914. German Samoa was a German protectorate following

1575-758: The Balkan Wars of 1912–1913 and the Treaty of Bucharest (1913) . As a condition of entering the war on the side of the Central Powers, Bulgaria was granted the right to reclaim that territory. In opposition to offensive operations by Union of South Africa , which had joined the war, Boer army officers of what is now known as the Maritz Rebellion "refounded" the South African Republic in September 1914. Germany assisted

1680-792: The British , Ethiopian , Italian , and French Empires between 1896 and 1925. During World War I, the Dervish State received many supplies from the German and Ottoman Empires to carry on fighting the Allies. However, looting from other Somali tribes in the Korahe raid eventually led to its collapse in 1925. Both the Ottomans and Germans had client states , they are listed below. States listed in this section were not officially members of

1785-800: The Central Powers recognised the Ukrainian delegation at the talks in Brest as a separate and plenipotentiary to conduct negotiations on the behalf of Ukrainian People's Republic. On 22 January 1918, an overwhelming majority of the Central Rada voted in favour of Ukrainian independence, which was subsequently proclaimed in the Fourth Universal of the Ukrainian Central Council . Trotsky was the leading advocate of

1890-654: The Donbas region . Due to the aggression from Soviet Russia , on 22 January 1918, the Tsentralna Rada issued its Fourth Universal (dated 22 January 1918), breaking ties with Bolshevik Russia and proclaiming a sovereign Ukrainian state. Less than a month later, on 9 February 1918, the Red Army seized Kiev. Besieged by the Bolsheviks and having lost much territory, the Rada was forced to seek foreign aid, and signed

1995-740: The Eastern Front . Russian forces were unable to put up any serious resistance due to the turmoil of the Russian Revolution and subsequent Russian Civil War . The armies of the Central Powers therefore captured huge territories in Estonia , Latvia , Belarus , and Ukraine , forcing the Bolshevik government of Russia to sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk . After the February Revolution (March 1917) brought down

2100-653: The Holy See . De facto recognition was granted by Switzerland , Sweden , Denmark , and Persia . Partial de facto recognition was received from the Belarusian Democratic Republic (see Belarus–Ukraine relations ). Later in 1918 Russia chose to withdraw its recognition of independent Ukraine, representing the protocols of the Versailles Treaty as justification for its action. In 1920 Symon Petliura and Józef Piłsudski signed

2205-853: The Kerensky Offensive in July 1917, but it resulted in a defeat. This further weakened the military and fuelled distrust in the Alexander Kerensky -led Provisional Government, but the Bolshevik anti-Kerensky July Days protests in Petrograd as well as Polubotkivtsi uprising in Kiev (modern Kyiv ) were successfully repressed. Kerensky's government and the Petrograd Soviet consolidated domestic political order by proclaiming

SECTION 20

#1732776722931

2310-510: The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria . Hungary ( Transleithania ) comprised the Kingdom of Hungary and the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia . In Bosnia and Herzegovina , sovereign authority was shared by both Austria and Hungary. The Ottoman Empire joined the war on the side of the Central Powers in November 1914. The Ottoman Empire had gained strong economic connections with Germany through

2415-876: The October Revolution , Bolsheviks of the Petrograd Soviet took power in the Russian Republic , rapidly transforming controlled areas intro the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR), and announcing that "Soviet Russia" would be withdrawing from war. In the meantime during the Kiev Bolshevik Uprising (8–13 November 1917, starting the Ukrainian–Soviet War ), Central Rada and Bolshevik forces jointly expelled

2520-808: The Ottoman Empire , and Bulgaria ; this was also known as the Quadruple Alliance. The Central Powers' origin was the alliance of Germany and Austria-Hungary in 1879 . Despite having nominally joined the Triple Alliance before, Italy did not take part in World War I on the side of the Central Powers and later joined on the side of the Allied Powers . The Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria did not join until after World War I had begun. The Central Powers faced, and were defeated by,

2625-601: The Petrograd Soviet Order No. 1 suggested more equal treatment between soldiers and officers of all ranks, and electing representatives to the Petrograd Soviet , while still maintaining a hierarchical command structure and military disciple. Although some Tsarist officers had fled during the February Revolution, or suppressed mutinies by their subordinate soldiers, order was generally maintained. The post-imperial Russian Army even conducted

2730-753: The Russian Empire in the east and France and the United Kingdom in the west. Some examples of the Central Powers collaborating are listed below. In the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive , German forces launched an assault on Russian positions to lessen pressure on the Austro-Hungarians to the south, diverting Russian troops from the Austro-Hungarian lines. At the Battle of Caporetto , Austro-Hungarian forces broke through

2835-801: The Russian Republic on 1 September 1917, thereby definitively abolishing the Russian Empire , as well as foiling the Kornilov affair . Meanwhile, the Central Rada was gaining influence in Ukraine, negotiating with the Russian Provisional Government for an autonomous Ukraine within Russia, demands which Kerensky's government partially but not yet fully recognised (e.g. he recognised the General Secretariat of Ukraine on 13 July 1917). On 7 November 1917, during

2940-511: The Taurida Governorate that were located on the mainland. On 4 March 1918 the Ukrainian government accepted the law about the administrative-territorial division of Ukraine. The law stated that Ukraine is divided into 32 zemlia ( land ) which are administered by their respective zemstvo . This law was not fully implemented as on 29 April 1918 there was the anti-socialist coup in Kiev, after which Hetman Pavlo Skoropadsky reverted

3045-525: The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on 9 February 1918 to obtain military help from the German and Austro-Hungarian Empires. Germany helped the Ukrainian Army force the Bolsheviks out of Ukraine. On 20 February 1918 the council of the Kuban People's Republic accepted the resolution for a federal union of Kuban with Ukraine as Bolshevik forces pushed towards Yekaterinodar . It was agreed to forward

3150-600: The Tripartite Convention . It was occupied by the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in 1914. Austria-Hungary regarded the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand as having been orchestrated with the assistance of Serbia . The country viewed the assassination as setting a dangerous precedent of encouraging the country's South Slav population to rebel and threaten to tear apart the multinational country. Austria-Hungary sent

3255-639: The Tsarist monarchy of the Russian Empire , the Imperial Russian Army was turned into the Russian Army . While vowing to continue the war, the Russian Provisional Government and Petrograd Soviet made efforts to humanise and democratise its command structure from its notoriously corrupt Tsarist hierarchy, to one that based the authority of officers on the support of their troops, and would no longer tolerate abuses of power. In particular,

Operation Faustschlag - Misplaced Pages Continue

3360-556: The Ukrainian Academy of Sciences . The Hetmanate government also supported the confiscation of previously nationalized peasant lands by wealthy estate owners, often with the help of German troops. This led to unrest, the rise of a peasant partisan ( guerrilla ) movement, and a series of large-scale popular armed revolts. Negotiations were held to garner support from previous Rada members Petliura and Vynnychenko , but these activists worked to overthrow Skoropadsky. On 30 July,

3465-521: The Ukrainian People's Republic of Soviets there on 24 December 1917, subordinated to the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR, better known as "Soviet Russia"). The Rada tried to retake control quickly, but had to give up Kharkov (19 December 1917 – 10 January 1918). In between on 25 December 1917, the Kiev-based Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR) was invited to join the peace talks, and sent its representatives to Brest-Litovsk to negotiate for Ukrainian independence. On 10–12 January 1918,

3570-405: The Ukrainian War of Independence as part of the wider Russian Civil War of 1917–1923. Soviet Russia would extend its control over what would ultimately become the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic , which became a founding member of the Soviet Union in 1922. On 10 June 1917, the Central Council of Ukraine declared its autonomy as part of the Russian Republic by its First Universal at

3675-436: The United States in April 1917, and Greece in July 1917. After successfully beating France in the Franco-Prussian War , the German Empire incorporated the province of Alsace-Lorraine upon its founding in 1871. However, the province was still claimed by French revanchists , leading to its recession to France at the Treaty of Versailles. The German Empire was late to colonization, only beginning overseas expansion in

3780-451: The Warsaw Treaty in which both countries established their borders along the Zbruch River . The states that previously recognized the Ukrainian People's Republic ceased any relationships with its Government-in-exile after they recognized the Soviet Government in Kiev. According to the latest census that was taken 1897, the republic was accounted for over 20 million population in seven former Russian guberniyas , plus three uyezds of

3885-405: The peace treaty with Ukrainian People's Republic on 9 February, and announced an end to the ceasefire with Soviet Russia in two-days time on 17 February, leading to the resumption of hostilities. The German and Austro-Hungarian authorities were happy to accept the invitation of the desperate Central Rada to occupy Ukraine, and secure food supplies for their armies and populations, while protecting

3990-484: The "neither war nor peace" policy, and on 28 January 1918 announced that Soviet Russia considered the war over. This was unacceptable to the Germans, who were already transporting troops to the Western Front . While negotiations were ongoing, Soviet Commander-in-Chief Nikolai Krylenko oversaw the demobilization and democratization of the Russian Army , introducing elected commanders, ending all ranks, and sending troops home. On 29 January, Krylenko ordered demobilization of

4095-408: The 17th a ceasefire went into effect. Peace talks soon followed, starting on 22 December. As negotiations began, the Central Powers presented demands for the territory that they had occupied during the 1914–1916 period, including Poland , Lithuania and western Latvia . The Bolsheviks decided not to accept these terms and instead withdrew from the negotiations, eventually resulting in the breakdown of

4200-446: The 1870s and 1880s. Colonization was opposed by much of the government, including chancellor Otto von Bismarck , but it became a colonial power after participating in the Berlin Conference . Then, private companies were founded and began settling parts of Africa, the Pacific, and China. Later these groups became German protectorates and colonies. Cameroon was a German colony existing from 1884 until its complete occupation in 1915. It

4305-512: The 3 Haidamaka Regiment of the biggest Ukrainian military formation, the Zaporizhian Corps, later were reorganized into the 1 Zaporizhian Division. In December 1918 a temporary law about the issue of state banknotes by the UPR was adopted. According to this law: "Bank-notes must be issued in karbovanets" ( Ukrainian : Карбованець). Each karbovanets contains 17.424 parts of pure gold and is divided into two hrivnas ( Ukrainian : Гривня) or 200 shahs ( Ukrainian : Шаг). There were numerous banks in

Operation Faustschlag - Misplaced Pages Continue

4410-561: The All-Ukrainian Military Congress. The highest governing body of the Ukrainian People's Republic became the General Secretariat headed by Volodymyr Vynnychenko . The Prime Minister of Russia Alexander Kerensky recognized the Secretariat, appointing it as the representative governing body of the Russian Provisional Government and limiting its powers to five governorates : Volyn , Kiev Governorate , Podolia , Chernigov , and Poltava . At first Vynnychenko protested and left his post as Secretariat leader, but eventually returned to reassemble

4515-403: The Allied Powers, which themselves had formed around the Triple Entente . The Central Powers started with the Dual Alliance between the German Empire and Austria-Hungary. Then the Ottoman Empire joined with the German–Ottoman alliance , then Bulgaria with the Bulgaria–Germany treaty . The name "Central Powers" is derived from the location of these countries; all four were located between

4620-404: The Allies in 1919 and split between the Belgian Congo , Portuguese Mozambique , and the newly founded colony of Tanganyika . South West Africa , modern-day Namibia , came under German rule in 1885 and was absorbed into South Africa following its invasion in 1915. Togoland , now part of Ghana , was made a German protectorate in 1884. However, after a swift campaign , it was occupied by

4725-432: The Baltic, he moved the capital from Petrograd to Moscow on 12 March. Debates became far more restrained, and he was never again so strongly challenged as he was regarding the Brest-Litovsk treaty. Central Powers The Central Powers , also known as the Central Empires , were one of the two main coalitions that fought in World War I (1914–1918). It consisted of the German Empire , Austria-Hungary ,

4830-433: The Berlin-to-Baghdad railway project that was still incomplete at the time. The Ottoman Empire made a formal alliance with Germany signed on 2 August 1914. The alliance treaty expected that the Ottoman Empire would become involved in the conflict in a short amount of time. However, for the first several months of the war, the Ottoman Empire maintained neutrality though it allowed a German naval squadron to enter and stay near

4935-477: The Bolsheviks from Ukraine. The German/Austro-Hungarian victories in Ukraine were due to the apathy of the locals and the inferior fighting skills of Bolsheviks troops compared to their Austro-Hungarian and German counterparts. The Germans arrested and disbanded the Tsentralna Rada on 29 April 1918 to stop the social reforms that were taking place and restarted the process of food supply transfer to Germany and Austria-Hungary. The German authorities also arrested

5040-525: The Bolsheviks, the Russian forces were eliminated from Kiev. After expelling the government forces, the Rada announced a wider autonomy for the Ukrainian Republic, still maintaining ties to Russia, on 22 November 1917. The territory of the republic was proclaimed by the Third Universal 20 November 1917 (7 November by Old Style) of the Tsentralna Rada encompassing the governorates: Volyn, Kiev, Podolie, Chernigov, Poltava, Kharkov , Yekaterinoslav , Kherson , Taurida (not including Crimea ). It also stated that

5145-419: The Caucasus, but were forced to recognize the independence of the Baltic States, Finland, and Poland. In Ukraine , the Ukrainian People's Army took control of the Donets Basin in April 1918. In the same month, Crimea was also cleared of the Bolsheviks by Ukrainian troops and the Imperial German Army . On 13 March 1918, Ukrainian troops and the Austro-Hungarian Army had secured Odessa. On 5 April 1918,

5250-408: The Central Council of Ukraine with its general secretariat , to the socialist republic led by the Directorate and by Symon Petliura . Between April and December 1918, the socialist authority of the Ukrainian People's Republic was suspended, having been overthrown by the pro-German Ukrainian State of Pavlo Skoropadskyi , who was elected as the Hetman of Ukraine by a congress of peasants. After

5355-408: The Central Powers. Still, during the war, they cooperated with one or more Central Powers members on a level that makes their neutrality disputable. The Ethiopian Empire was officially neutral throughout World War I but widely suspected of sympathy for the Central Powers between 1915 and 1916. At the time, Ethiopia was one of only two fully independent states in Africa (the other being Liberia ) and

SECTION 50

#1732776722931

5460-498: The Directorate was officially united with the West Ukrainian People's Republic , although the latter entity de facto maintained its own army and government. On 5 February, the Bolsheviks captured Kiev. Throughout 1919, Ukraine experienced chaos as the armies of the Ukrainian Republic, the Bolsheviks, the Whites, the foreign powers of the Entente , and Poland , as well as anarchist forces such as that of Nestor Makhno tried to prevail. The subsequent Kiev offensive , staged by

5565-522: The Eastern Front. Belgium was a neutral country and would not accept German forces crossing its territory. Germany disregarded Belgian neutrality and invaded the country to launch an offensive towards Paris. This caused Great Britain to declare war against the German Empire, as the action violated the Treaty of London that both nations signed in 1839 guaranteeing Belgian neutrality. Subsequently, several states declared war on Germany in late August 1914, with Italy declaring war on Germany in August 1916,

5670-430: The Estonian government and Germans were installed in positions of authority. The Bolshevik capitulation on 3 March 1918 only ended the advance along a line from Narva to Northern Ukraine, as with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk the Soviet government gave up all rights to the southwestern region of the former Russian Empire. During the next few months, the southern Central Powers forces advanced over 500 miles further, capturing

5775-404: The German army took control of Yekaterinoslav , and 3 days later Kharkov . The German/Austro-Hungarian victories in Ukraine were due to the apathy of the locals and the inferior fighting skills of Bolsheviks troops compared to their Austro-Hungarian and German counterparts. In the Bolshevik government, Lenin consolidated his power; however, fearing the possibility of a renewed German threat along

5880-416: The Irish political landscape was changing. In 1914, Józef Piłsudski was permitted by Germany and Austria-Hungary to form independent Polish legions . Piłsudski wanted his legions to help the Central Powers defeat Russia and then side with France and the UK and win the war with them. Below is a list of these non-state combatants. Bulgaria signed an armistice with the Allies on 29 September 1918, following

5985-456: The Italian lines, in part due to the German use of mustard gas on the Italian Second Army . Germany had plans to create a Mitteleuropa economic association. Members would include Austria-Hungary, Germany, and others. At the start of the war, the Central Powers consisted of the German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire . The Ottoman Empire joined later in 1914, followed by the Tsardom of Bulgaria in 1915. In early July 1914, in

6090-456: The October Revolution a civil war and expressed its hopes for the resolution of the chaos. After a brief truce, the Bolsheviks realized that the Rada had no intention of supporting the Bolshevik Revolution. They re-organized into an All-Ukrainian Council of Soviets in December 1917 in an attempt to seize power. When that failed due to the Bolsheviks' relative lack of popularity in Kiev, they moved to Kharkov . The Bolsheviks of Ukraine declared

6195-498: The Ottoman Empire and Germany, and Grand Senussi Ahmed Sharif as-Senussi declared jihad and attacked the Italians in Libya and the British in Egypt in the Senussi Campaign . In 1915, the Sultanate of Darfur renounced allegiance to the Sudanese government and aligned with the Ottomans. They were able to contact them via the Senussi . Prior to this they were a British ally. The Anglo-Egyptian Darfur Expedition preemptively invaded to prevent an attack on Sudan. A small force

6300-424: The Ottoman and German Empires during their rebellion against the Allied forces in 1915. Other movements supported the efforts of the Central Powers for their own reasons, such as the radical Irish Nationalists who launched the Easter Rising in Dublin in April 1916; they referred to their "gallant allies in Europe". However, most Irish Nationalists supported the British and allied war effort up until 1916, when

6405-436: The Ottoman government entered the war with the recently acquired cruisers from Germany, along with their own navy, launching a naval raid on the Russian ports of Odessa , Sevastopol , Novorossiysk , Feodosia , and Yalta , thus engaging in military action in accordance with its alliance obligations with Germany. Shorty after, the Triple Entente declared war on the Ottoman Empire. After Bulgaria's defeat in July 1913 at

SECTION 60

#1732776722931

6510-580: The Petlyura's government (such as the Oskilko's Affair), some were against the establishment of the Soviet regime, some took place to eliminate the Entente forces. According to Cheka documentation, in Ukraine took place 268 uprisings from 1917 through 1932, where in over 100 raions the mutinied peasants were killing chekists, communists, and prodotryads that were requisitioning food by force which more resembled expropriation . The government of Ukrainian People's Republic operated in Warsaw , Paris , Weimar , Kissingen , Munich , and Philadelphia . After

6615-430: The Polish army and allied Ukrainian forces, was unable to change the situation. On 10 November 1920, the Directorate lost the remainder of its territory to the Bolsheviks in Volhynia as it crossed into Poland to accept internment. In March 1921, the Peace of Riga sealed a shared control of the territory by Poland, the Russian SFSR , and the Ukrainian SSR . As the result, the lands of Galicia ( Halychyna ) as well as

6720-411: The Revolutionary forces. On 19 December 1918, the Directorate took control of Kiev. The Bolsheviks invaded Ukraine from Kursk in late December 1918 where the new Ukrainian Soviet government was reestablished earlier in November of the same year. On 16 January 1919 Ukraine officially declared a war on Russia while the Russian Soviet government continued to deny all claims of invasion. On 22 January 1919,

6825-439: The Russian Provisional Government's Kiev Military District , and the Central Rada proclaimed the autonomous Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR) on 20 November 1917, which would have supreme authority within Ukraine until order in the Russian Republic would be restored (which would never happen). Talks between the new Bolshevik-led Soviet Russian government and the Central Powers started in Brest-Litovsk on 3 December 1917, and on

6930-400: The Secretariat after the Tsentralna Rada accepted the Kerensky Instruktsiya and issued the Second Universal . After the October Revolution the Kievan faction of the Bolshevik Party instigated the uprising in Kiev on 8 November 1917 in order to establish Soviet power in the city. Kiev Military District forces attempted to stop it, but after the Tsentralna Rada threw its support behind

7035-495: The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Soviet Russia had given up Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus and Ukraine, enabling those territories to develop independently from Russian influence. Germany's intention was to turn these territories into political and territorial satellites, but this plan collapsed with Germany's own defeat within a year. After the German surrender, the Soviets made an attempt to regain lost territories. They were successful in some areas like Ukraine, Belarus and

7140-412: The Tsentralna Rada soured, a series of regional Soviet republics on the territory of Ukraine proclaimed their independence and allegiance to the Petrograd sovnarkom ( Odesa Soviet Republic (southern Ukraine), Donetsk-Krivoi Rog Soviet Republic (eastern Ukraine)). The Donetsk-Kryvoi Rog Republic was created by a direct decree of Lenin as part of the Russian SFSR with its capital in Kharkov. That decree

7245-401: The UPR against the advancing Bolshevik forces of Soviet Russia. On 18 February, the German and Austro-Hungarian forces started a major three-pronged offensive against the Soviets with 53 divisions. The northern force advanced from Pskov towards Narva , the central force pushed towards Smolensk , and the southern force towards Kiev . The northern force, consisting of 16 divisions, captured

7350-453: The Ukrainian Prime Minister , Vsevolod Holubovych , on terrorist charges, and thus disbanded the Council of People's Ministers. Prior to this, the Rada had approved the Constitution of the Ukrainian People's Republic . Concurrently with all these events and a few days prior to the change of powers in the country on 24 April 1918 the government of Belarus confirmed the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce in Kiev headed by Mitrofan Dovnar-Zapolsky on

7455-430: The Ukrainian People's Republic with a territory including the area of approximately eight Russian imperial governorates ( Kiev , Volhynia , Kharkov , Kherson , Yekaterinoslav , Poltava , Chernigov and Podolia ). It formally declared its independence from Russia on 22 January 1918. During its short existence, the republic went through several political transformations – from the socialist-leaning republic headed by

7560-584: The Ukrainian socialists announced a new revolutionary government, the Directorate , on 14 November 1918. The Directorate gained massive popularity, and the support of some of Skoropadsky's military units including the Serdiuk Division. Their insurgent army encircled Kiev on 21 November. After a three-week-long stalemate Skoropadsky abdicated in favor of the Council of Ministers who surrendered to

7665-429: The aftermath of the assassination of Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and faced with the prospect of war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia , Kaiser Wilhelm II and the German government informed the Austro-Hungarian government that Germany would uphold its alliance with Austria-Hungary and defend it from possible Russian intervention if a war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia took place. When Russia enacted

7770-800: The beginning of the World War II Taras Bulba-Borovets , with the support of the President of the Ukrainian People's Republic in exile Andrii Livytskyi , crossed the German-Soviet border and started organizing UPA military units subordinate to the UPR Government. The 10th Emergency Session of the Ukrainian National Council recognized the state of Ukraine as the successor of the Ukrainian People's Republic in exile and agreed to transfer

7875-658: The ceasefire. Leon Trotsky , head of the Soviet Russian delegation, hoped to delay talks until a revolution occurred within Germany, which would force them out of the war. Meanwhile on 17 December, the Kievan Bolsheviks demanded that the Central Rada of Ukraine recognise new Soviet government in Russia, but the Rada refused, and conflict erupted between them. The Bolsheviks fled from Kiev, regrouped in Kharkov (modern Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine) and established

7980-805: The collapse of the Ukrainian State, the Ukrainian People's Republic declared its unification with the West Ukrainian People's Republic in January 1919. After the Polish–Ukrainian War , it signed an alliance with the Second Polish Republic . On 10 November 1920, the state lost the remainder of its territory to the Bolsheviks. The Peace of Riga on 18 March 1921 between Poland, Soviet Russia (acting also on behalf of Soviet Belarus ), and Soviet Ukraine sealed

8085-472: The country, and Germany, in turn, declared war on Russia, setting off the beginning of the clash of alliances that resulted in the World War. Austria-Hungary was internally divided into two states with their own governments, joined through the Habsburg throne. Austria, also known as Cisleithania , contained various duchies and principalities but also the Kingdom of Bohemia , the Kingdom of Dalmatia , and

8190-694: The fate of the Ukrainian People's Republic. After the October Revolution, many governments formed in the territory of Ukraine, most notably the Ukrainian People's Republic of Soviets based in Kharkov , and its Soviet successors. This force, along with the Ukrainian People's Republic, the White movement , Poland , Green armies , and anarchists , fought constantly with each other, which resulted in many casualties among Ukrainians fighting in

8295-506: The general population and government was supportive of the Central Powers, particularly Austria-Hungary , of which the two countries had been in a customs union since 1852. However, from September 1914 food deliveries from Austria-Hungary began to decrease, which quickly soured the initial war support. By 1916 all food deliveries from Austria-Hungary had ceased, which forced Liechtenstein to seek closer ties with Switzerland in order to ensure food deliveries continued. From 1916, Liechtenstein

8400-514: The government of the Ukrainian People's Republic outlawed and proclaimed the Ukrainian People's Republic of Soviets with capital in Kiev, claiming that the government of the People's Secretaries of Ukraine was the only government in the country. The Bolshevik Red Army entered Ukraine from the Russian SFSR in support of the local Soviet government. As the relationships between members within

8505-415: The hands of Serbia, Greece and Romania . It signed a treaty of defensive alliance with the Ottoman Empire on 19 August 1914. Bulgaria was the last country to join the Central Powers, which it did in October 1915 by declaring war on Serbia. It invaded Serbia in conjunction with German and Austro-Hungarian forces . Bulgaria held claims on the region of Vardar Macedonia then held by Serbia following

8610-524: The initiative of the Belarusian secretary of finance Pyotr Krechevsky . After the coup , the Rada was replaced by the conservative government of Hetman Pavlo Skoropadsky , the Hetmanate , and the Ukrainian People's Republic by a "Ukrainian State" ( Ukrainska derzhava ). Skoropadsky, a former officer of the Russian Empire , established a regime favoring large landowners and concentrating power at

8715-606: The key Daugavpils junction on the first day. This was soon followed by the capture of Pskov and securing Narva on 28 February. The central forces of the 10th Army and XLI corps advanced towards Smolensk. On 21 February Minsk was captured together with the headquarters of the Western Army Group. The Southern forces broke through the remains of the Russian Southwestern Army Group, capturing Zhitomir (modern Zhytomyr ) on 24 February. Kiev

8820-547: The morning of 11 November 1918 after the Hundred Days Offensive , and a succession of advances by New Zealand , Australian , Canadian , Belgian , British , French and US forces in north-eastern France and Belgium . There was no unified treaty ending the war; the Central Powers were dealt with in separate treaties. Below is a table of the leaders of the Central Powers. Ukrainian People%27s Republic The Ukrainian People's Republic ( UPR )

8925-596: The people of the governorates: Voronezh , Kholm , and Kursk were welcome to join the republic through a referendum . Further the Tsentralna Rada in its Universal stated that because there was no Government in the Russian Republic after the October Revolution it proclaimed itself the Supreme governing body of the territory of Ukraine until order in the Russian republic could be restored. The Central Council of Ukraine called all revolutionary activities such as

9030-579: The person of Generalfeldmarschall von Eichhorn who replaced the Colonel General Alexander von Linsingen . On 6 April the commander of the Army group Kijew issued an order in which he explained his intentions to execute the conditions of the treaty. That, of course, conflicted with the laws of the Ukrainian government, which annulled his order. By April 1918 the German - Austrian Operation Faustschlag offensive had completely removed

9135-543: The powers and attributes of state power to the newly elected President of Ukraine in 1991. The Ukrainian People's Republic was recognized de jure in February 1918 by the Central Powers of World War I ( Austria-Hungary , Germany , the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria ) and by Bolshevik Russia , the Baltic States ( Estonia , Latvia and Lithuania ), Georgia , Azerbaijan , Romania , Czechoslovakia , and

9240-451: The rebels, with some operating in and out of the German colony of German South-West Africa . The rebels were all defeated or captured by South African government forces by 4 February 1915. The Senussi Order was a Muslim political-religious tariqa ( Sufi order ) and clan in Libya , previously under Ottoman control , which had been lost to Italy in 1912 . In 1915, they were courted by

9345-544: The reform back to the guberniya -type administration. The headquarters of the republic's armed forces was called the General Bulawa and was considered to be located in Kiev. Of course, due to constant intervention from the Petrograd sovnarkom and the German Empire the physical location of it was changing ( Kamyanets-Podilsky , Bila Tserkva , others). The following three Zaporizhian infantry regiments and

9450-503: The resolution for ratification to the Ukrainian government. After the treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Ukraine became a virtual protectorate of the German Empire which at that time seemed more favorable than being overrun by the Soviet forces that were spreading havoc in the country. Germany was anxious about losing the war and was trying to speed up the process of food extraction from Ukraine, so it decided to install its own administration in

9555-434: The strait of Bosphorus . Ottoman officials informed the German government that the country needed time to prepare for conflict. Germany provided financial aid and weapons shipments to the Ottoman Empire. After pressure escalated from the German government demanding that the Ottoman Empire fulfill its treaty obligations, or else Germany would expel the country from the alliance and terminate economic and military assistance,

9660-467: The top. The government had little support from Ukrainian activists, but unlike the socialist Rada, it was able to establish an effective administrative organization, established diplomatic ties with many countries, and concluded a peace treaty with Soviet Russia. In a few months, the Hetmanate also printed millions of Ukrainian language textbooks, established many Ukrainian schools, two universities, and

9765-456: The war, even though Russia was in no position to do so, due to the destruction of its army. At this point Lenin intervened to push the Soviet leadership into acceptance of German terms, which by now had become even harsher. He was backed by other senior communists to include Kamenev , Zinoviev , and Stalin . After a stormy session of Lenin's ruling council, during which the revolution's leader went so far as to threaten resignation, he obtained

9870-652: The whole army. The same day, Bolshevik troops advancing on Kiev were defeated by the UPR in the Battle of Kruty , while the Bolshevik Kiev Arsenal January Uprising was repressed by UPR troops on 4 February. Nevertheless, the Bolsheviks conquered Kiev on 8 February 1918 , forcing the Rada out of Ukraine's capital and to consider inviting the Central Powers to intervene. The German Chief of Staff, general Max Hoffmann , responded by signing

9975-830: The whole of Ukraine and some territory beyond. German operations also continued in the Caucasus and Finland, where Germany assisted the White Finnish forces in the Finnish Civil War . Under the treaty all Russian naval bases in the Baltic except Kronstadt were taken away, and the Russian Black Sea Fleet warships in Odessa were to be disarmed and detained. The Bolsheviks also agreed to the immediate return of 630,000 Austrian prisoners-of-war. With

10080-731: Was a short-lived state in Eastern Europe . Prior to its proclamation, the Central Council of Ukraine was elected in March 1917 as a result of the February Revolution , and in June, it declared Ukrainian autonomy within Russia. Its autonomy was later recognized by the Russian Provisional Government . Following the October Revolution , the Central Council of Ukraine denounced the Bolshevik seizure of power and proclaimed

10185-588: Was a threat to both the Allies and Ethiopia. Fearing the rising influence of Iyasu and the Ottoman Empire, the Christian nobles of Ethiopia conspired against Iyasu. Iyasu was first excommunicated by the Ethiopian Orthodox Patriarch and eventually deposed in a coup d'état on 27 September 1916. A less pro-Ottoman regent, Ras Tafari Makonnen , was installed on the throne. Liechtenstein was officially neutral throughout World War I, though

10290-413: Was ceded to France as a League of Nations Mandate at the war's end. German East Africa was founded in 1885 and expanded to include modern-day Tanzania (except Zanzibar ), Rwanda , Burundi , and parts of Mozambique . It was the only German colony to not be fully conquered during the war, with resistance by commander Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck lasting until November 1918. Later it was surrendered to

10395-703: Was contesting. The following information is based on the exposition of the Museum of Soviet occupation in Kiev ( Memorial in Kiev). (Each deputy represents 100,000 of population, a right of vote have citizens of 20 years and older; established the Central Election Commission to the Ukrainian Constituent Assembly) In April 1918 troops loyal to the Ukrainian People's Republic take control of several cities in

10500-516: Was embargoed by the Entente countries due to their connections to the Central Powers, which caused mass unemployment in the country. The government remained sympathetic to the Central Powers until 7 November 1918, when the November 1918 Liechtenstein putsch took place and a new government took power. Upper Asir revolted away from Asir in 1916 and fought against them. The Kingdom of Greece

10605-601: Was in a political dispute with Venizelists . The Central Powers supported the nation until King Constantine's abdication in 1917. Following their armistice with the Central Powers, Romania was involved in the Russian Civil War against both the Whites and the Reds. Romania fought alongside the Central Powers until the country rejoined the war against them on November 10, 1918. Kelantanese rebels were supported by

10710-542: Was led by Leo Frobenius , a celebrated ethnographer and personal friend of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Under Iyasu's directions, Ethiopia probably supplied weapons to the Muslim Dervish rebels during the Somaliland Campaign of 1915 to 1916, indirectly helping the Central Powers' cause. The Allies jointly pressured the aristocracy for the designated emperor's removal on the 10th of September, 1916 stating he

10815-666: Was secured on 2 March, one day after the Ukrainian Central Rada troops had arrived there. Central Powers armies had advanced over 150 miles (240 km) within a week, facing no serious Soviet resistance. German troops were now within 100 miles (160 km) of Petrograd , forcing the Soviets to transfer their capital to Moscow . The rapid advance was described as a "Railway War" ( der Eisenbahnfeldzug ) with German soldiers using Russian railways to advance eastward. General Hoffmann wrote in his diary on 22 February: It

10920-691: Was sent after the sultan and he was killed in action in November 1916. The invasion ended with an Anglo-Egyptian victory in November 1916. The Zaian Confederation began to fight against France in the Zaian War to prevent French expansion into Morocco . The fighting lasted from 1914 and continued after the First World War ended, to 1921. The Central Powers (mainly the Germans) began to attempt to incite unrest to hopefully divert French resources from Europe. The Dervish State fought against

11025-569: Was successfully implemented by Fyodor Sergeyev who became the chairman of the local government as well as joining the Soviet government of Ukraine, simultaneously. Unlike Fyodor Sergeyev's Republic, the Odesa Republic was not recognized by any other Bolshevik governments and on its own initiative had entered a military conflict with Romania for control over the Moldavian Democratic Republic , whose territory it

#930069