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Documents and materials of the First World War. War Speaks: The Silent Archives of the First World War. Revolution in Russia

For many years this war has remained silent. In the USSR, she was considered inglorious and anti-people, and therefore unworthy of public attention. Outside the borders of the union, the pages of its history were turned timidly and slowly: victories burned with death, defeats with tears of those who had received front-line letters and urgent telegrams only yesterday. After a long pause, the war was discussed with wide eyes. From the shadow of silence came not only official documents, but also private archives that feed the soil of great history.

In the year of honoring the events of a century ago, historians willingly throw in the bloody statistics of the war: 10 million killed and 20 million wounded from 38 participating countries (or three quarters of the Earth's population), which are 4 years 3 months and 10 days (from August 1, 1914 to November 11 1918) were engulfed in a whirlwind of unprecedented scale and cruelty. But there is hardly a historian who dares to say how many military documents and evidence have been classified, forgotten and lost since the fatal shot of Gavrila Princip. An even more difficult task is to get the history of one life, family or small homeland out of storerooms and attics. This is the closed space that, in synthesis with official narratives, can change the punctuation marks in the main sentences printed in red letters in history books.

From the world according to the document: Europeans write their history of war

As an alternative source of great history, personal archives began to be used as early as the 1970s. In Great Britain, where the tradition of oral and written stories has long been strong, the historian Alf Peacock recorded interviews with eyewitnesses of the First World War. Among them were participants in the Battle of Ypres, and doctors who saved the lives of the wounded, and even soldiers who fled from the battlefield. The work of the historian did not go unnoticed. Cassettes of 231 stories were sent to the staff and volunteers of the York Oral History Society. In 2012, audio recordings of eyewitnesses were of interest to the UK Heritage Lottery Fund, which allocated almost fifty thousand pounds for the digitization of unique materials. As a result, 250 hours of film migrated to the book and CD.

But the matter did not end there either. Inspired by the example of fellow historians, the British Imperial War Museum and the Zooniverse.org online community set about digitizing the diaries of British soldiers and officers. Once again, the deciphering and publication of one and a half million pages of the archives of the First World War was not without the help of volunteers. Subsequently, this extensive evidence base has served as the basis for the creation of more than a thousand BBC radio programs.

"Europeana 1914-1918" - a special digital resource dedicated earlier
unpublished documents of the First World War. It included about
400 thousand documents,660 hours of film recordings and 90 thousand personal files and things.

Enthusiasm and a sense of internal duty of volunteers paved the way to one of the largest digital collections of the First World War, Europeana 1914-1918. This online resource, launched on January 28 this year, has already grown to become a global resource, bringing together the funds of many organizations around the world, including the archives of Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Initially, the collection of archival materials was created by twenty European countries. It included about 400,000 documents, 660 hours of unique film footage, and 90,000 personal files and belongings of war veterans. “This is a unique collection of historical artefacts that have not been exhibited or published anywhere before,” says Jill Cousins, executive director of Europeana. “Most of the content is available under an open license, which allows it to be accessed many times, and we will be glad if a wide variety of people can use the contents of the collection in their projects.”

Russia collects archives

After a protracted silence, they began to recreate a small history of a big war in the Russian archives. If we talk about very little, then we will have to return to the European undertaking to create an international collection of archival documents. Few people know that the Russian State Library made a significant contribution to the creation of the Europeana 1914-1918, providing 270 photographs from its own funds for online use. The Russian State Archive of Film and Photo Documents holds an even richer collection of more than a hundred albums on the history of the war. A detailed list of photographic documents of the archive can be found on the website of the Federal Archives.

To date, the largest set of documents on the First World War is stored within the walls of the Lefortovo Palace, which houses the funds of the Russian State Military Historical Archive (RGVIA). The Lefortovo archive of military materials has almost half a million items of storage related to the period of the Great War. At a distance of two thousand kilometers from him in the old town near Tyumen, Yalutorovsk, began by digitizing documents. By the end of 2018, the 100th anniversary of the end of the war, it is planned to scan over 7.7 million cards from the Bureau of Records of Losses on the Fronts of the First World War.

Once these racks with a total length of 1120 meters were part of a unit for conducting "special office work for the collection and registration of information about those who left for death or for wounds, as well as missing military ranks." In a few years, inventories of scanned documents will be posted on the website of the Russian State Military Historical Archive, and the archives will be available on the basis of an electronic application. However, today archivists in Yalutorovsk are already working at the request of individuals and institutions: if the name you are looking for is on the lists, the applicant receives a copy of it. With great gratitude, the Tyumen branch of the RGVIA is ready to accept personal (family) archives related to the war period.

TSAMO.ORG is an online archive of German World War I documents.
He combined 465 cases with a total volume of 36,142 sheets, which are provided
under open access rights.

Another extensive archival and historical project TSAMO.ORG is a child of the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (TsAMO). Since 1953 it has housed a large collection of German documents from World War I. For many years, these materials had neither annotations nor translation and were not available to archive visitors. With the support of the German Historical Institute in Moscow, in mid-July of this year, the electronic collection "German Documents of the First World War" was born, which contains 465 files with a total volume of 36,142 sheets. Most of the TsAMO digital archive is maps and diagrams (787!), orders and instructions, combat logs of military units, personal files of military personnel and other documents on personnel records, special propaganda materials in the enemy army, information reports, personal correspondence, photographs and etc. Electronic versions of digitized documents are publicly available at tsamo.org.

The title of an alternative textbook of national and world history is claimed by the authors of a special project, designed by the creative inspiration and painstaking work of Lenta.ru and Rambler Infographics. This site, not without aesthetic claims, contains facts, thoughts, things and documents about the First World War, which still connect us with the events of the First World War. “Time is often compared to water, and its course to the flow of a river. You can drown in time, you can dissolve without a trace, but it also brings the most unexpected artifacts to the surface,” the authors of the special project warn the reader. We can readily agree with them. In order for the cruel rapids of this winding river to leave living marks in the hearts of contemporaries, people, events, things and documents should not be silent, for silence gives rise to oblivion, and oblivion is a direct path to mistakes.

The year 2014 marks the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War - a new type of war that acquired the features that have become common for armed conflicts of the 20th century. This is the inseparability of the rear from the front, and the total mobilization of the economy for military needs, and the conduct of an information war on a national scale. Land battles have enriched military science with the tactics of tank attacks. At sea, for the first time, an underwater war was launched, and against civilian ships. In fact, during the war, a new type of armed forces was formed - aviation, which became a full-fledged means of conducting armed struggle. The Russian Empire in this war was part of a military-political bloc with France and Great Britain, which was opposed by the Central Powers - Germany and Austria-Hungary. The war, initially perceived by many contemporaries as the Second Patriotic War (by analogy with the war of 1812), rather quickly contributed to the development of crisis phenomena in all spheres of the life of the state and society. The rapidly emerging difficulties in supplying the army and the front revealed the unpreparedness of the production base and the weakness of the infrastructure, primarily the railway, for the needs of a major war. The attempts of the government to solve the growing difficulties led to the phenomenon of “ministerial leapfrog”, which has become a household word, and the cooperation between the authorities and private capital turned out to be insufficiently productive. A powerful influx of the rural population into the cities led not only to a supply crisis, but also to a change in the social image of the townspeople. A series of defeats at the front contributed to the deterioration of the situation inside the country.

For the Russian state, the Great War turned out to be the turn of the epochs, the transition from a class monarchy to a socialist republic, accompanied by revolutionary upheavals and the devastation of the Civil War. The political conjuncture of the Soviet era assigned the definition of "imperialist" to the First World War, which in practice meant considering it mainly as a catalyst for revolutionary events. The epithet of the “forgotten war”, which has gained popularity in recent years, reflects not only the poor knowledge of this time period, but also its actual loss from the historical memory of the nation.

Research, journalism, official documents, archival materials (including a card index of war heroes), leaflets and fiction were used as the main materials for presentation in the collection. Particular attention is paid to memoirs and visual sources reflecting Russia's participation in the First World War.

The collection includes over 1200 items.

For the preparation of this collection, numerous materials from the funds of the Arkhangelsk Regional Scientific Library named after V.I. N. A. Dobrolyubov, Belgorod State Universal Scientific Library, Library of Congress, Library of Natural Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering and Signal Corps of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, State Archives of the Russian Federation, State Archives of the Tyumen Region, State Fund films of the Russian Federation, the State Socio-Political Library, the State Public Historical Library, the Children's Postcard Museum, the Moscow Regional State Scientific Library. N. K. Krupskaya, Omsk State Regional Scientific Library. A. S. Pushkin, Perm State Regional Universal Library. A. M. Gorky, Russian State Library, Russian State Film and Photo Archive, Russian State Historical Archive, Russian Historical Channel, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg State Theater Library, Central Naval Library, Center for Information Technologies and Systems of Executive Organs authorities.

The First World War in Soviet times was forgotten. They tried not to mention the exploits of our great-grandfathers, who considered it the Second Patriotic War, calling it imperialistic, which was only the threshold of the Civil War. To correct the undeserved oblivion of the events of this turning point in our history of the war, without the lessons of which it will be difficult for us to overcome modern challenges, is the task of the whole society, and not just professional historians.

On the occasion of the centenary of the First World War, the Russian Military Historical Society opened the Internet service “The Great War. People's Archive of the First World War" (pomnimvseh.histrf.ru). Everyone can create their own page on the site with documents from the family archive, memories related to the events of the First World War .

The work of the project in test mode has already shown its high demand and popularity among Internet users who are not indifferent to the history of their country. " My great-grandmother Varvara Ivanovna Dracheva, daughter of a hereditary nobleman, in 1916-1918 served as a sister of mercy in the evacuation hospital»… « My grandfather fought in both World Wars and the Civil War. Armosov Nikolai Vasilyevich was born on April 24, 1893 in the city of St. Petersburg, in the family of a landless peasant in the village of Chizhovo, Bezhetsky District, a retired captain of the 145th Novocherkassk Infantry Emperor Alexander III Regiment". With these words, testimonies about ancestors who participated in the First World War begin.

For project participants, the site is an opportunity to tell about their loved ones, relatives. Documents, diaries, postcards, postcards, photos of weapons, warships, front-line photographs, portraits and signatures are laid out - not only relatives. The Internet project is a kind of chronicle, a place for storing any, even indirect, evidence of the First World War, about which we still know so little.

The site gathers around itself people for whom the theme of the First World War is alive and personally suffered. For a month of work in test mode, hundreds of unique photographs, rare documents, diary entries, biographical information about real participants in hostilities appeared in the People's Archive.

The motto of the project is "Let's keep history together!" The people's archive of documents from the First World War, which has been hushed up for a century, is waiting for new chroniclers. At the all-Russian multimedia exhibition "Look into the eyes of war", which will open on August 28, 2014 in the Small Manege in Moscow, there will be an information kiosk in which documents from the family archive can be posted on the website "Great War. People's Archive of the First World War" anyone who wants.

If your family archive has evidence of the First World War, create your own page, share these documents with your descendants.

The editors of the site "Western Russia"
at the request of the organizers of the project
"Great War. People's Archive of the First World War"

Dear visitors!
The site closed the possibility of registering users and commenting on articles.
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First World War 1914-1918. Data. The documents. Shatsillo Vyacheslav Kornelievich

The documents

1. Armistice between the RSFSR, on the one hand, and Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey, on the other hand, concluded in Brest-Litovsk on December 2/15, 1917.

Between the plenipotentiaries of the supreme commands of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey, on the one hand, and Russia, on the other, the following truce is concluded in order to achieve a lasting and honorable peace for all parties.

1. The armistice begins on December 17, 1917 at noon (December 4, 1917 at 2 pm Russian time) and will last until January 14, 1918 until noon (January 1, 1918 2 pm Russian time). The contracting parties have the right to denounce the armistice on the 21st day with a seven-day period. If this is not followed, then the truce will automatically continue to operate until one of the parties denounces it with a seven-day period.

2. The armistice extends to all land and air forces of the aforementioned powers on the land front, on the Russian Black Sea and on the Baltic Sea. In the Russian-Turkish military theaters in Asia, the truce comes into force at the same time. The contracting parties undertake not to reinforce the military units located on these fronts ... Further, the contracting parties undertake ... not to make operational movements of troops from the front from the Baltic to the Black Sea ...

4. For the development and strengthening of friendly relations between the peoples of the contracting parties, organized communication of troops is permitted on the following conditions:

1) Communication is allowed for parliamentarians, for members of the armistice commissions and for their representatives ... 2) In each section of the Russian division, organized communication can take place in about two or three places. To this end, in the neutral zone, by agreement with the opposing division, points must be set up for communication between the demarcation lines, and these points must be marked with white flags. Communication is allowed only during the day from sunrise to sunset. No more than 25 persons from each side without weapons can be in the places for communication at the same time. The exchange of information and newspapers is permitted. Open letters can be transferred for onward delivery. The sale and exchange of everyday goods is allowed in the points of communication…

9. The contracting parties will begin immediately after the signing of the armistice agreement to peace negotiations.

10. Based on the principle of freedom, independence and territorial integrity of the neutral Persian state, the Turkish and Russian high commands declare their readiness to withdraw troops from Persia. They will immediately enter into relations with the Persian government in order to settle the details of the recall and those measures that would still be necessary to consolidate the above principle.

(Klyuchnikov Yu. V., Sabanin A. V. The international half of the newest time in contracts, notes and declarations. Part 2. M., 1926. FROM. 97–98. Next: International politics.)

2. Declaration made by the representative of the RSFSR L. D. Trotsky at a meeting of the political commission of the peace conference in Brest-Litovsk on January 28 / February 10, 1918

... We believe that after a long debate and a comprehensive consideration of the issue, the hour of decisions has come. The peoples are looking forward to the results of the peace talks in Brest-Litovsk. The peoples are asking when will this unparalleled self-destruction of mankind, caused by the selfishness and lust for power of the ruling classes of all countries, end? If ever a war was waged in self-defense, then it has long ceased to be such for both camps. If Great Britain takes possession of the African colonies, Baghdad and Jerusalem, then this is not yet a defensive war; if Germany occupies Serbia, Belgium, Poland, Lithuania and Rumania and seizes the Moonsund Islands, then this is also not a defensive war. This is a struggle for the division of the world. Now it's clear: clearer than ever.

We no longer wish to take part in this imperialist war, where the claims of the propertied classes are clearly paid for with human blood. We are equally implacable towards the imperialism of both camps, and we no longer agree to shed the blood of our soldiers in defense of the interests of one imperialist camp against the other.

In anticipation of that - we hope close at hand - hour when the oppressed working classes of all countries will take power into their own hands, like the working people of Russia, we are withdrawing our army and our people from the war. Our soldier plowman must return to his arable land in order to cultivate peacefully this spring the land which the revolution has handed over from the hands of the landowner to the hands of the peasant. Our soldier-worker must return to the workshop in order to produce not instruments of destruction, but instruments of creation, and together with the plowman to build a new socialist economy.

We are leaving the war. We inform all peoples and their governments about this. We give the order for the complete demobilization of our armies, which are now opposed to the troops of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria. We wait and firmly believe that other nations will soon follow our example. At the same time, we declare that the conditions offered to us by the governments of Germany and Austria-Hungary are fundamentally contrary to the interests of all peoples. These conditions are rejected by the working masses of all countries, including the peoples of Austria-Hungary and Germany. The peoples of Poland, the Ukraine, Lithuania, Courland and Estonia consider these conditions to be violence against their will; for the Russian people, these conditions mean a constant threat. The popular masses of the whole world, guided by political consciousness or moral instinct, reject these conditions in anticipation of the day when the working classes of all countries will establish their own standards of peaceful coexistence and friendly cooperation among peoples. We refuse to sanction the conditions which German and Austro-Hungarian imperialism writes with a sword on the body of the living peoples. We cannot sign the Russian revolution under conditions that bring oppression, grief and misfortune to millions of human beings.

The governments of Germany and Austria-Hungary want to own the lands and peoples by the right of military seizure. Let them do their work openly. We cannot consecrate violence. We are withdrawing from the war, but we are forced to refuse to sign a peace treaty.

In connection with this statement, I am transmitting the following written and signed statement to the Allied Delegations:

In the name of the Council of People's Commissars, the government of the Russian Federative Republic hereby brings to the attention of the governments and peoples of the allied and neutral countries that are at war with us that it is refusing to sign the annexationist treaty. Russia, for its part, declares a state of war with Germany, Austria-Hungary. Turkey and Bulgaria discontinued. At the same time, the Russian troops are sent an order for complete demobilization along the entire front.

L. Trotsky - A. Ioffe. М. Pokrovsky, А.

3. Peace treaty between the RSFSR, on the one hand, and Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey, on the other hand, concluded in Brest-Litovsk on March 3/17, 1918.

(Commissioned: RSFSR - Sokolnikov, Karakhan, Chicherin and Petrovsky; Germany - Kyadman, Rosenberg, Hoffman & Gorn; Austria-Hungary - Chernin. Merey von Kaios Mere and Cicerich von Buchann; Bulgaria - Toshev, Ganchev and Anastasov; Turkey - Hakki Pasha and Zeyusi Pasha.)

Article I. Russia, on the one hand, and Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey - from the other, declare that the state of war between them is over; they decided to continue to live among themselves in peace and friendship.

Article 2. The contracting parties will refrain from any agitation or propaganda against the government or state or military establishments of the other side. Since this obligation concerns Russia, it also extends to the areas 1 occupied by the powers of the quadruple alliance.

Article 3 , Kamenetz-Litovsk and to the north of Brest-Litovsk] and prinal lying before Russia, God will not be under its supreme power ... For In the aforementioned regions, their former belonging to Russia will not imply any obligations towards Russia.

Russia refuses any interference in the internal affairs of these regions. Germany and Austria-Hungary intend to determine the future fate of these regions in relation to their population.

Article 4. Germany is ready, as soon as a general peace is concluded and a complete Russian demobilization is carried out, to clear the territory lying to the east of the line indicated in paragraph I of Article 3, insofar as Article 6 does not decide otherwise. Russia is doing everything in its power to ensure the speedy clearance of the provinces of eastern Anatolia and their orderly return to Turkey.

The districts of Ardagan, Kars and Batumi are also immediately cleared of Russian troops. Russia will not interfere in the new organization of the state-legal and international-legal relations of these districts, but will allow the people of the districts to establish a new system in agreement with neighboring states, especially with Turkey.

Article 5, [Obligation of Russia to carry out a complete demobilization of its army, including military units newly formed by the Soviet government. Transfer of military courts of Russia to Russian ports and leaving them to din until the conclusion of a general peace. Removal of minefields in the Baltic Sea and in Russian-controlled parts of the Black Sea. The immediate resumption of merchant shipping in these seas and its announcement free]

Article 6. Russia undertakes to immediately conclude peace with the Ukrainian People's Republic and recognize the peace treaty between this state and the powers of the quadruple alliance. The territory of Ukraine is immediately cleared of Russian troops and the Russian Red Guard. Russia ceases all agitation or propaganda against the government or public institutions of the Ukrainian People's Republic.

Estonia and Liflyanlia are also immediately cleared of Russian troops and the Russian Red Guard. The eastern border of Estonia passes in general along the river Narova Eastern border

Liflandin passes in general through lakes Chudskoye and Pskovskoye ... then through Lake Lubanskoye in the direction of Livenhof Estland and Livonia will be occupied by the German police authorities until public security is ensured there by the country's own institutions and until state order is established there . Russia will immediately release all arrested or taken away inhabitants of Estonia and Livonia and ensure the safe return of all taken away Estonians and Livonians.

Finland and the Åland Islands will also be immediately cleared of Russian troops and the Russian Red Guard, and Finnish ports - of the Russian fleet and Russian naval forces ... Russia stops all agitation or propaganda against the government or public institutions of Finland.

The fortifications erected on the Åland Islands must be demolished as soon as possible. With regard to the prohibition to erect fortifications on these islands in the future, as well as their general provisions regarding military and navigation technology, a special agreement must be concluded regarding them between Germany, Finland, Russia and Sweden. The parties agree that, at the request of Germany, other states adjacent to the Baltic Sea may also be involved in this agreement.

Article 7. Based on the fact that Persia and Afghanistan are free and independent states, the contracting parties undertake to respect the political and economic independence and territorial integrity of Persia and Afghanistan.

Article 8

Article 9: [Declaration of mutual waiver of reimbursement of military expenses and reimbursement of military losses.]

Article 10. Diplomatic and consular relations between the contracting parties will resume immediately after the ratification of the peace treaty ... Concerning the admission of consuls, both parties reserve the right to enter into special agreements.

Article 13. When interpreting this Treaty, the authentic texts are for relations between Russia and Germany - Russian and German, between Russia and Austria-Hungary - Russian, German and Hungarian, between Russia and Bulgaria - Russian and Bulgarian, between Russia and Turkey - Russian and Turkish.

Annex No. 1. [Map.]

Annex No. 2. [Economic relations between Russia and Germany.]

…one. The Russian-German trade agreement of 1894/1904 no longer comes into effect.

The contracting parties undertake to begin as soon as possible after the conclusion of a general peace between Germany, on the one hand, and the European states that are at present at war with her, S. S. America and Japan, on the other, negotiations on the conclusion of a new commercial treaty.

2. The basis of Russian-German trade relations is the first addition to Appendix 2, valid until January 1, 1920, with the right to denounce six months in advance ...

[Appendix 1 to Appendix 2 reproduces the text of the Russian-German trade agreement of 1894/1904 with some changes in favor of Germany, in particular with the provision of transit to the East.]

Appendix 3. [Economic relations between Russia and Austria-Hungary.]

[Same provisions as in annex 2; restoration of the actual operation of the Russian-Austrian trade agreement of 1906.]

Annex 4. [Economic relations between Russia and Bulgaria.]

1. [After the conclusion of a general peace, the

conclusion of a new trade agreement.]

2. [Before January 1, 1920, the mutual granting of the most favored nation, followed by the right of denunciation six months in advance.]

Annex 5. [Economic relations between Russia and Turkey. The content is similar to that of Appendix 4.]

(International politics. Part 2. S. 123–126.)

4. Declaration of Prime Ministers and Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the countries of Concord in connection with the conclusion of the Brest-Litovsk peace treaty. March 19, 1918

London

The Prime Ministers and Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the countries of the Entente, who have gathered in London, consider it their indispensable duty to ascertain the political crime that, under the name of the German world, was committed against the Russian people.

Russia was unarmed. Forgetting that for four years Germany had been fighting against the independence of peoples and the rights of mankind, the Russian government, in a fit of strange credulity, expected to achieve by persuasion a "democratic peace" which it could not achieve by war. The result was that the truce that followed in the meantime had not yet expired when the German command, although obliged not to change the disposition of its troops, transferred them en masse to the Western Front, and Russia was so weak that she did not even dare to raise a protest against this blatant violations of the word given by Germany.

What followed, when the "German world" became a reality, was of the same nature. It turned out that [this world] contains an invasion of Russian territory, the destruction or seizure of all the defensive means of Russia and such an organization of Russian land that is beneficial to Germany. These methods do not differ from the concept of "annexation", although the word itself has been carefully avoided.

Meanwhile, those Russians who had made military operations impossible saw that diplomacy was powerless. Their representatives were compelled to declare that, by refusing to read the treaty before them, they had no choice but to sign it; they signed it, not knowing whether its true meaning is peace or war, and not considering how the national life of Russia is reduced to a ghost by this world.

For us, the governments of the Concord, the judgment which will be pronounced by the free peoples of the world on these actions will never be in doubt. Why waste time reassuring Germany when we see that at no time in the history of her conquests - neither when she invaded Silesia, nor when she divided Poland - did she show such cynicism in the destruction of national independence, was not merciless an enemy of human rights and the dignity of civilized nations.

Poland, whose heroic spirit has survived the most cruel of all national tragedies, is threatened by the fourth partition, and in order to increase her misfortunes, those premises by which the last remnants of her independence must be destroyed are based on false promises of freedom.

What is true of Russia and Poland is no less true of Romania, which, like them, is the victim of a relentless pursuit of dominance.

They talk loudly about peace, but under the guise of verbal slogans, the rough truths of war and the cruel law of power without rights are hidden.

We will not and cannot recognize such peace treaties as these. Our own goals are completely different. We are fighting and we think to continue to fight in order to put an end once and for all to this policy of robbery and to install in its place a peaceful kingdom of organized justice.

As the events of this long war unfold before our eyes, we see more and more clearly that the manifestations of the struggle for freedom are everywhere intertwined; that these latter do not need a special enumeration, and that in any case the only, but quite exhaustive call is the call to justice and law.

Will justice and law prevail? Since the outcome depends on the battles yet to come, peoples whose fates are at stake can freely trust their armies, which, under conditions even more difficult than the present, have shown that they are more than up to the mark of the great work entrusted to their valor.

(International Politics, Part 2, pp. 135–137.)

5. Regulations of the Paris Peace Conference, adopted at the plenary session of the conference on January 18, 1919

Section I. The Conference, assembled to fix the terms of the peace, first by peaceful preliminaries, and then by a final peace treaty, shall be composed of representatives of the belligerent Allied and Associated Powers.

The belligerent powers having common interests - the United States of America, the British Empire, France, Italy and Japan - will participate in all meetings and commissions.

Warring Powers with Private Interests - Belgium, Brazil, British Dominions and India, China, Cuba, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Gejas, Honduras, Liberia, Nicaragua, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Siam and the Czechoslovak Republic, - will participate in those meetings at which issues concerning them are discussed.

The Powers which are in a state of breaking off diplomatic relations with the enemy Powers - Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay - will participate in meetings at which questions concerning them will be discussed.

Neutral Powers and States in the process of being formed may be heard either orally or in writing when they are invited by Powers having interests of a general nature to meetings devoted specifically to questions directly affecting them, but only in so far as these issues are covered.

Section II. The Powers will be represented by plenipotentiary delegates as follows: five from the United States of America, the British Empire, France, Italy and Japan; three from Belgium, Brazil and Serbia; two - from China, Greece, King Gejas. Poland, Portugal, Romania, Siam and the Czechoslovak Republic; one from Cuba, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Liberia,

Nicaragua and Panama; one from Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay.

The British Dominions and India will be represented as follows: two delegates each from Australia, Canada, South Africa and India, including the native states, and one delegate from New Zealand.

Although the number of delegates should not exceed the figures mentioned above, each delegation will have the right to claim for itself the application of the panel system. Representation of dominions, including Newfoundland and India, can be included in the representation of the British Empire based on the panel system.

Montenegro will be represented by one delegate, but the rules regarding the appointment of this delegate will not be established until the political situation of this country is clarified.

The conditions for the representation of Russia will be fixed by the conference at the time when the cases concerning Russia are considered.

Section III. Each delegation of Commissioners may be accompanied by duly appointed technical delegates and two stenographers.

Technical Delegates may attend meetings to make inquiries when requested. They will be allowed to speak to give any clarification required.

Section IV. Delegates are ordered by seniority based on the alphabetical order of the powers in French.

Section V. The Conference will be declared open by the President of the French Republic. The President of the French Council of Ministers will be temporarily vested with the presidency immediately thereafter.

A Commission, composed of one Commissioner from each of the Great Allied or Associated Powers, will proceed immediately to examine the credentials of all members present.

Section VI. During the first meeting of the conference, the latter will proceed to the election of a permanent chairman and four vice-chairmen, elected from among the authorized Great Powers in alphabetical order.

Section VII. The Secretariat, appointed from outside the Commissioners and composed of one representative each from the United States of America, one from the British Empire, one from France, one from Italy, one from Japan, shall be submitted for the approval of the Conference by the Chairman, who shall be the Supervisory Authority responsible for his work.

This secretariat will be entrusted with the responsibility of editing the minutes of the meetings, classifying archives, taking care of the conference and its organization, and generally ensuring the regular and accurate progress of the work entrusted to it. The head of the secretariat will be responsible for the records and archives. The archives will always be open to members of the conference.

Section VIII. Publicity of the work will be ensured by official communiqués drawn up by the secretariat and published. In case of disagreement regarding the editing of these communiqués, the issue will be resolved by the Chief Commissioners or their representatives ...

Section X. All documents intended to be included in the minutes must be served in writing by the representatives representing them. No document and no proposal may be submitted otherwise than by or on behalf of one of the authorized persons.

Section XI. Plenipotentiaries wishing to make proposals that have no connection with the issue on the agenda, or do not arise from the debate, must give 24 hours' notice to facilitate the debate. However, exceptions to this rule may be made in cases of amendments or minor matters, but not in cases of substantive proposals.

Section XII. Petitions, memorandums, comments or documents submitted to the conference by persons other than those authorized must be received and classified by the secretariat. Those of these communications which are purely political will be summarized in a list which will be distributed to all Commissioners. This list will be updated as similar messages are received. All such documents will be archived.

Section XIII. The discussion of the issue to be resolved will consist of a first and a second reading. The first will consist of a general discussion in order to reach agreement on important issues. This will be followed by a second reading for more detailed consideration.

Section XIV. The plenipotentiaries will have the right, subject to the consent of the conference, to permit their technical delegates to submit technical explanations on those points deemed appropriate.

If the conference considers it useful, then the technical consideration of individual issues may be entrusted to committees of technical delegates, whose duty it will be to make a report and propose a decision.

Section XV. Minutes drawn up by the secretariat will be printed and distributed in proof form to delegates as soon as possible.

term. In order to speed up the work of the conference, messages made in this way in advance will replace the reading of the minutes at the beginning of each meeting. If no changes are proposed by the authorized representatives, the text will be considered approved and archived.

If any change is proposed, it will be read out by the Chair at the beginning of the next meeting. In any case, the protocol must be read out in full at the request of any commissioner.

The Department XVI. A commission will be formed to edit the adopted resolutions. This commission will deal only with those issues that have been resolved. Its only task will be to develop the text of the adopted decision and submit it for the approval of the conference.

It shall be composed of five non-plenipotentiary members, and shall consist of one representative from the United States of America, one from the British Empire, one from France, one from Italy, one from Japan.

(International politics. Part 2. S. 216–219.)

6. Treaty of Versailles

Statute of the League of Nations

High Contracting Parties,

Considering that in order to develop co-operation between peoples and to guarantee their peace and security, it is important to accept certain obligations not to resort to war,

maintain in full publicity international relations based on justice and honor,

strictly observe the prescriptions of international law, which are now recognized as the valid rule of conduct for governments,

establish the rule of justice and observe in good faith all the obligations imposed by the Treaties in the mutual relations of organized peoples, accept the present Statute, which establishes the League of Nations.

The original members of the League of Nations shall be those of the Signatories whose names appear in the Annex to this Statute, and the States alike named in the Annex, which shall accede to this Statute without reservation, by means of a declaration deposited with the Secretariat within two months of accession to the force of the Statute, of which the other Members of the League shall be notified.

All states, dominions, or colonies freely governed, and which are not listed in the Appendix, may become members of the League, if two-thirds of the assembly vote in favor of their admission, insofar as they will give valid guarantees of their sincere intention to comply with international obligations, and in so far as they will accept the provisions established by League regarding their military, naval and air forces and armaments.

Any member of the League may, after a two-year prior warning, withdraw from the League, provided that by that time he has fulfilled all his international obligations, including obligations under this Statute ...

Article 11

It is expressly declared that every war or threat of war, whether directly or not directly affecting any of the members of the League, is of interest to the League as a whole, and that the latter must take measures capable of effectively safeguarding the peace of nations. In such a case, the General Secretary shall immediately convene the Council at the request of any member of the League.

In addition, it is declared that every member of the League has the right to draw the attention of the assembly or the Council in a friendly manner to any circumstance capable of affecting international relations and, therefore, threatening to shake the peace or good harmony between nations, on which the world depends.

Article 12

All members of the League agree that if a dispute arises between them, which may lead to a break, they will submit it either to arbitration or to the consideration of the Council. They also agree that they must in no case resort to war before the expiration of a period of three months after the decision of the arbitrators or the report of the Council.

In all cases provided for in this article, the decision of the arbitrators must be rendered within a reasonable time, and the report of the Council must be drawn up within six months from the date the dispute was submitted to it.

Part III. POLITICAL PROVISIONS CONCERNING EUROPE

Department 1. Belgium

Article 31

Germany, recognizing that the Treaties of April 19, 1839, which established the Belgian regime before the war, do not correspond to existing circumstances, agrees to the repeal

of these Treaties and undertakes henceforth: to recognize and observe all agreements whatsoever which the Principal Allied and Associated Powers, or some of them, may conclude with the governments of Belgium or the Netherlands for the purpose of replacing the said Treaties of 1839. Should formal accession to these Conventions, or to some of their provisions, be required, Germany is henceforth undertaking to grant such.

Article 32

Germany recognizes the full sovereignty of Belgium over the entire disputed territory of Morenay (called Neutral Morenay).

Article 33

Germany renounces in favor of Belgium all rights and titles to the territory of the Prussian Morene, located to the west of the road from Liege to Aachen; part of the road bordering this territory will belong to Belgium.

Article 34

Germany renounces, moreover, in favor of Belgium, all rights and titles to the territories comprising the entire counties (Kreise) of Eupen and Malmedy.

Within six months following the entry into force of this Treaty, the records will be opened at Eupen and Malmedy by the Belgian authorities and the inhabitants of the said territories will have the right to express in writing their desire to see these territories, in whole or in part, left under German sovereignty. […]

Section II. Luxembourg

Article 40

Germany renounces, so far as the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is concerned, the benefit of any provision made in her favor in the Treaties of February 8, 1842, April 2, 1847, October 20-25, 1865, August 18, 1866, February 21 and May 11, 1867 of the year, May 10, 1871, June 11, 1872, November 11, 1902, as well as to any Conventions that followed the named Treaties.

Germany recognizes that the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg ceased to be a member of the German Customs Union on January 1, 1919, renounces all rights to operate railways, joins in the abolition of the Grand Duchy's regime of neutrality and accepts in advance all international agreements concluded by the Allied and Associated Powers regarding the Great Duchies. […]

Section III. Left bank of the Rhine

Article 42

Germany is forbidden to maintain or build fortifications either on the left bank of the Rhine or on the right bank of the Rhine to the west of the line drawn 50 kilometers east of this river.

Article 43

Likewise, in the zone defined in Article 42, the maintenance or concentration of armed forces, whether permanent or temporary, is also prohibited, as are all military maneuvers, of whatever kind, and the retention of any materiel for mobilization.

Article 44

Should Germany in any way violate the provisions of Articles 42 and 43, she would be regarded as having committed an act of hostility towards the Signatory Powers of this Treaty and as seeking to shake the peace of the world.

Section IV. Saar basin

Article 45

In compensation for the destruction of the coal mines in the north of France, and on account of the amount of reparations for war losses due from Germany, the latter cedes to France full and unrestricted ownership, free and clear from all debts or obligations and with the exclusive right to exploit the coal mines located in Saar basin, within such limits as are specified in Article 48. […]

Division V. Alsace-Lorraine

Article 51

The territories ceded to Germany by virtue of the Preliminary Peace signed at Versailles on February 26, 1871, and the Frankfurt Treaty of May 10, 1871, return to French sovereignty from the day of the armistice of November 11, 1918.

The provisions of the Treaties establishing the outline of the frontier prior to 187] will again come into force. […]

Section VI. Austria

Article 80

Germany recognizes and will strictly respect the independence of Austria within the limits to be established by the Treaty concluded between that State and the Principal Allied and Associated Powers; it recognizes that this independence will be inalienable, unless the consent of the Council of the League of Nations follows.

Section VII. Czecho-Slovak state

Article 81

Germany recognizes, as the Allied and Associated Powers have already done, the full independence of the Czecho-Slovak State, which will include the autonomous territory of the Ruthenians south of the Carpathians. She declares consent to the borders of this state, as they are determined by the Principal Allied and Associated Powers and others. interested states.

Article 82

The border between Germany and the Czecho-Slovak State will be determined by the former border between Austria-Hungary and the German Empire, as it existed by August 3, 1914.

Section VIII. Poland

Article 87

Germany recognizes, as the Allied and Associated Powers have already done, the full independence of Poland and renounces in favor of Poland all rights and titles in the territories bounded by the Baltic Sea, the eastern border of Germany, as defined in Article 27 of Part II (Frontiers of Germany) of this Treaty, to a point approximately 2 kilometers east of Lorzendorf, then by a line extending to an acute angle formed by the northern border of Upper Silesia, approximately 3 kilometers northwest of Simmenau, then the border of Upper Silesia, until it meets the former frontier between Germany and Russia, then that frontier up to the point where it crosses the course of the Niemen, after that the northern frontier of East Prussia, as defined in Article 28 of Part II above.

However, the provisions of this Article shall not apply to the territories of East Prussia and the Free City of Danzig, as their boundaries are defined in the said Article 28 of Part II (Frontiers of Germany) and in Article 100 of Section XI (Danzig) of this Part.

The frontiers of Poland not defined by this Treaty will be subsequently fixed by the Principal Allied and Associated Powers.

A commission consisting of seven members, of which five shall be appointed by the Principal Allied and Associated Powers, one by Germany and one by Poland, shall be formed fifteen days after the coming into force of this Treaty, to fix in place the frontier line between Poland and Germany.

Decisions of this commission will be taken by majority vote and will be binding on the parties concerned. […]

Department X. Memel

Article 99

Germany renounces in favor of the Principal Allied and Associated Powers all rights and titles in the territories concluded between the Baltic Sea, the northeastern frontier of East Prussia, described in Article 28 of Part II (German Frontiers) of this Treaty, and the former frontiers between Germany and Russia.

Germany undertakes to recognize the regulations which the Principal Allied and Associated Powers shall adopt in respect of these territories, in particular as regards the nationality of the inhabitants. […]

Article 102

The Principal Allied and Associated Powers undertake to form the city of Danzig with the territory specified in Article 100 as a Free City. He will be placed under the protection of the League of Nations. […]

Section XV. Russia and Russian states

Article 116

Germany recognizes and undertakes to respect, as permanent and inalienable, the independence of all territories that were part of the former Russian Empire by August 1, 1914.

In accordance with the provisions included in Articles 259 and 292 of Parts IX (Financial Provisions) and X (Economic Provisions) of this Treaty, Germany definitively recognizes the annulment of the Brest-Litovsk treaties, as well as any other treaties, agreements or conventions concluded by her with the Maximalist Government in Russia.

The Allied and Associated Powers formally stipulate Russia's rights to receive from Germany all restitutions and reparations based on the principles of this Treaty.

Article 117

Germany undertakes to recognize the full force and effect of all treaties or agreements that the Allied and Associated Powers would conclude with the States which have been or are being formed in all or part of the territories of the former Russian Empire as it existed by August 1, 1914, and to recognize the frontiers of these States as they will be set accordingly.

Part IV. GERMAN RIGHTS AND INTERESTS OUTSIDE GERMANY

Article 118

Outside her frontiers in Europe as established by this Treaty, Germany waives all rights, titles or privileges to all territories belonging to or relating to herself or her allies, as well as all rights, titles and privileges which it might have, on whatever legal basis, in relation to the Allied and Associated Powers.

Germany henceforth undertakes to recognize and accept all orders which are adopted or will be adopted by the Principal Allied and Associated Powers in agreement, if necessary, with third Powers, in the form of settling the effects of the above decision.

In particular, Germany declares that it accepts the provisions of the following articles concerning certain special subjects.

Division I, German colonies

Article 119

Germany renounces in favor of the Principal Allied and Associated Powers all her rights and titles to her overseas possessions. […]

PART V. MILITARY, SEA AND AIR REGULATIONS

With a view to making possible the preparation of a general limitation of the armaments of all nations, Germany undertakes to observe strictly the provisions laid down below - military, naval and air.

Section I. Martial Laws

CHAPTER I

Article 159

German military forces will be demobilized and reduced under the conditions set out below.

Article 160

1. From March 31, 1920 at the latest, the German Army shall not have more than seven divisions of infantry and three divisions of cavalry.

From this moment on, the total strength of the army of the states forming Germany should not exceed one hundred thousand people, including officers and non-combatants, and will be exclusively intended for maintaining order in the territory and for the border police.

The total number of officers, including the personnel of the headquarters, whatever their formation, should not exceed four thousand.

2. Divisions and headquarters of army corps will be built in accordance with table No. 1, attached to this section.

The number and strength of the units of infantry, artillery, engineering troops and technical services and troops provided for in the said table are maximums that should not be exceeded.

The following units may have their own non-combat units: Infantry Regiment, Cavalry Regiment. Field Artillery Regiment, Sapper Battalion.

3. Divisions may not be distributed among more than two army corps headquarters.

The maintenance or formation of otherwise grouped forces or other organs of command or preparation for war is prohibited.

The German Grand General Staff and all other similar formations will be disbanded and cannot be re-established in any form.

The officer or equivalent personnel of the military ministries of the various states of Germany and the departments attached to them shall not exceed three hundred officers included in the maximum strength of four thousand provided for in this article. […]

Article 163

The reduction of the German military forces established in Article 160 may be carried out gradually in the following manner.

Within three months following the entry into force of this Treaty, the total strength shall be reduced to 200,000 men, and the number of units shall not exceed more than twice the number provided for in Article 160.

At the expiration of this period and at the end of each subsequent three-month period, the Conference of Military Experts of the Principal Allied and Associated Powers shall fix for the next three-month period reductions to be made in such a way that, at the latest by March 31, 1920, the German total strength does not exceed the maximum figure of 100,000 person, provided for in Article 160. With these gradual reductions, the same ratios that are provided for in the said article must be maintained between the number of soldiers and officers and between the number of various types of units. […]

Manning and military training

Article 173

All kinds of universal compulsory military service will be abolished in Germany.

The German army can be built and manned only by voluntary recruitment.

Article 174

The hiring of non-commissioned officers and soldiers must be carried out for twelve years without interruption.

The ratio of persons leaving service for whatever reason before the expiration of their term of employment shall not exceed five per cent annually of the total strength established by this Treaty. […]

Article 177

Educational institutions, universities, ex-military societies, shooting and sports or tourist associations, and in general associations of every kind, whatever the age of their members, should not deal with any military matters.

They shall in particular be prohibited from instructing or exercising their members or compelling them to learn or practice the art of war or the use of military weapons.

These societies, associations, educational institutions and universities must have no connection with the War Ministries or with any other military authority.

Article 178

Any measures of mobilization or tending to mobilization are prohibited.

In no case should units of troops, services or headquarters contain additional personnel. […]

Chapter IV. fortifications

Article 180

All land fortifications, fortresses and fortified places located on German territory to the west of the line drawn fifty kilometers east of the Rhine will be disarmed and demolished.

Within a two-month period from the date of entry into force of this Treaty, those land fortifications, fortresses and fortified places that are located on the territory not occupied by the Allied and Associated Forces must be disarmed and must be demolished in the second four-month period. Those of them that are in the territory occupied by the Allied and Allied Forces must be disarmed and hidden within the time limits set by the Allied High Command.

The construction of any new fortifications, whatever their nature or significance, is prohibited in the zone specified in the first section of this article.

The system of fortifications of the southern and eastern borders of Germany will be preserved in its present state. […]

Article 183

After a period of two months from the date of entry into force of this Treaty, the total number of persons involved in the German navy and employed both in the crews of the fleet, in coastal defense, in the semaphore service, and in coastal administration and in coastal services, including officers and personnel of every rank and every kind, shall not exceed fifteen thousand men.

The total number of officers and "warrant officers" must not exceed one thousand five hundred.

Within two months from the entry into force of this Treaty, personnel in excess of the numbers indicated above will be demobilized.

No naval or military formation, no reserve formations can be created in Germany for the services involved in the fleet, in excess of the strength established above. […]

Part VII. sanctions

Article 227

The Allied and Associated Powers present Wilhelm II of Hohenzollern, former German Emperor, with a public accusation of the highest insult to international morality and the sacred power of treaties.

A special court will be formed to try the accused, providing him with substantial guarantees of the right of defense.

It will be composed of five judges appointed by each of the five following powers, namely: the United States of America, Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan.

The Court will judge according to the motives inspired by the highest principles of international politics, and in the care of ensuring respect for solemn duties and international obligations, as well as for international morality. It will be up to him to determine the punishment that he judges to be applied.

The Allied and Associated Powers will request the Government of the Netherlands to hand over the ex-emperor to them so that he can be tried. […]

Part VIII. REPARATIONS

Section 1. General provisions

Article 231

The Allied and Associated Governments declare, and Germany acknowledges, that Germany and her Allies are responsible for causing all losses and damages suffered by the Allied and Associated Governments and their citizens in consequence of the war which was forced upon them by the attack of Germany and her Allies. […]

Article 233

The amount of said damages which Germany is obliged to compensate shall be fixed by an Inter-Allied Commission which shall take the name of the Reparation Commission and shall be constituted in the form and with the powers indicated below and in Appendices II-VII herewith,

This Commission will examine the claims and give the German Government a fair opportunity to be heard.

From the book Jewish Moscow author Gessen Julius Isidorovich

DOCUMENTS (l. 238) XXIII. Petition of Patriarch Nikon to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich - regarding the arrival to him, the patriarch, in the Resurrection Monastery, by royal decree, of the Chudov Monastery, Archimandrite Joachim and deacon Dementy Bashmakov with archers to take him, Nikon,

From the book Foreign Legion author

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DOCUMENTS "Conversations easily" "In the Soviet Army the discipline is panicky"12. From the decision of the Assistant Prosecutor of the Moldavian SSR for Supervision of the Investigation in the State Security Bodies of April 29, 1954 in the case of Kuznets A.S.[…] Kuznets A.S. showed: "Guilty

author Kozlov Vladimir Alexandrovich

DOCUMENTS As a railroad worker, Dibrov confused Sverdlov with Trotsky39. From the protest of the Chairman of the Supreme Court of the USSR to the Railway Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR dated June 2, 1953 in the case of Dibrov, P.M.