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Twilight of Empire: The Brest-Litovsk Conference and the Remaking of East-Central Europe, 1917–1918
Twilight of Empire is the first book in English to examine the Brest-Litovsk Peace Conference during the later stages of World War I with the use of extensive archival sources. Two separate peace treaties were signed at Brest-Litovsk the first between the Central Powers and Ukraine and the second between the Central Powers and Bolshevik Russia.
Borislav Chernev, through an insightful and in-depth analysis of primary sources and archival material, argues that although its duration was short lived, the Brest-Litovsk settlement significantly affected the post-Imperial transformation of East Central Europe. The conference became a focal point for the interrelated processes of peacemaking, revolution, imperial collapse, and nation-state creation in the multi-ethnic, entangled spaces of East Central Europe. Chernev's analysis expands beyond the traditional focus on the German-Russian relationship, paying special attention to the policies of Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Ukraine. The transformations initiated by the Brest-Litovsk conferences ushered in the twilight of empire as the Habsburg, Hohenzollern, and Ottoman Empires all shared the fate of their Romanov counterpart at the end of World War I.
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Borislav Chernev, through an insightful and in-depth analysis of primary sources and archival material, argues that although its duration was short lived, the Brest-Litovsk settlement significantly affected the post-Imperial transformation of East Central Europe. The conference became a focal point for the interrelated processes of peacemaking, revolution, imperial collapse, and nation-state creation in the multi-ethnic, entangled spaces of East Central Europe. Chernev's analysis expands beyond the traditional focus on the German-Russian relationship, paying special attention to the policies of Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Ukraine. The transformations initiated by the Brest-Litovsk conferences ushered in the twilight of empire as the Habsburg, Hohenzollern, and Ottoman Empires all shared the fate of their Romanov counterpart at the end of World War I.
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- GenresHistory
304 pages, Hardcover
First published June 2, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 10, 2025
Twilight of Empire: The Brest-Litovsk Conference and the Remaking of East-Central Europe, 1917–1918 offers a richly detailed and refreshingly broad picture of the turmoil at the end of World War I — a moment when revolution, war, diplomacy, and nationalist ambitions collided to reshape East-Central Europe. Chernev doesn’t merely rehash the familiar story of Russia versus Germany; instead, he expands the lens to include Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and the smaller nationalities caught between collapsing empires. The way it connects Soviet Russia’s revolutionary impetus, Central-Powers hunger crises and borderland ambitions, and the broader social unrest are Chernev’s core argument: Brest-Litovsk was not simply a “punishment” of Bolshevik Russia, but a messy, multi-layered reckoning with empire, class, and national identity.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is its treatment of Soviet Russia’s dual strategy: negotiations at Brest-Litovsk, yes, but simultaneously fomenting revolutionary and national upsurge across Eastern Central Europe. Chernev underscores how the Soviet delegation saw “peace” as only one front in a broader revolution; for them, national self-determination and class struggle went hand in hand. At the same time, Chernev illustrates how the Central Powers — far from acting as a unified German juggernaut — were riven by competing war aims, internal economic crisis (especially the food shortage in Austria-Hungary), and divergent ambitions (e.g., Bulgarian designs in the Balkans, Austro-Hungarian negotiations over Ukraine, Ottoman interests).
I especially appreciated Chernev’s treatment of the social context — the 1918 workers’ strikes in Austria, and how war-deprivation and revolution agitation rippled from the East to the West. This helps make sense of why the peace treaties, though signed officially on 3 March 1918 (the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk), did not bring a stable peace: conflict continued along borders, old imperial loyalties held ground in the Central Powers, and the revolutionary fervor spread unpredictably. In this sense, Chernev’s framing presents the Brest-Litovsk “settlement” was as much a beginning as an end — a provisional truce in a broader struggle for political identity, sovereignty, and economic stability.
That said, the book—and by extension, any interpretation — is not without its contested points. Some reviewers question Chernev’s description of Brest-Litovsk as a moment of “decolonization,” pointing out that many of the territories ceded by Russia still fell under new forms of imperial domination (German, Austro-Hungarian, or Ottoman), and that local populations sometimes had as many — or more — legal rights under tsarist rule as under new regimes. Also, the claim that Bolsheviks might have secured more lenient terms if they had approached the negotiations differently, while provocative, remains difficult to prove definitively. Some of the book’s judgments — for example, about the sincerity (or lack thereof) behind national self-determination rhetoric on both sides — reflect reading between the lines more than conclusive archival evidence.
Overall, “Twilight of Empire” is, in my view, a powerful, necessary — and provocative — re-examination of the Brest-Litovsk moment. It doesn’t aim for neat answers. Instead, it shows how war, revolution, empire collapse, nationalism, and social upheaval intertwined in ways that shaped the 20th-century map of Europe. For readers interested in World War I, the Russian Revolution, or the birth of modern Eastern Europe, this book is as illuminating as it is unsettling.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is its treatment of Soviet Russia’s dual strategy: negotiations at Brest-Litovsk, yes, but simultaneously fomenting revolutionary and national upsurge across Eastern Central Europe. Chernev underscores how the Soviet delegation saw “peace” as only one front in a broader revolution; for them, national self-determination and class struggle went hand in hand. At the same time, Chernev illustrates how the Central Powers — far from acting as a unified German juggernaut — were riven by competing war aims, internal economic crisis (especially the food shortage in Austria-Hungary), and divergent ambitions (e.g., Bulgarian designs in the Balkans, Austro-Hungarian negotiations over Ukraine, Ottoman interests).
I especially appreciated Chernev’s treatment of the social context — the 1918 workers’ strikes in Austria, and how war-deprivation and revolution agitation rippled from the East to the West. This helps make sense of why the peace treaties, though signed officially on 3 March 1918 (the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk), did not bring a stable peace: conflict continued along borders, old imperial loyalties held ground in the Central Powers, and the revolutionary fervor spread unpredictably. In this sense, Chernev’s framing presents the Brest-Litovsk “settlement” was as much a beginning as an end — a provisional truce in a broader struggle for political identity, sovereignty, and economic stability.
That said, the book—and by extension, any interpretation — is not without its contested points. Some reviewers question Chernev’s description of Brest-Litovsk as a moment of “decolonization,” pointing out that many of the territories ceded by Russia still fell under new forms of imperial domination (German, Austro-Hungarian, or Ottoman), and that local populations sometimes had as many — or more — legal rights under tsarist rule as under new regimes. Also, the claim that Bolsheviks might have secured more lenient terms if they had approached the negotiations differently, while provocative, remains difficult to prove definitively. Some of the book’s judgments — for example, about the sincerity (or lack thereof) behind national self-determination rhetoric on both sides — reflect reading between the lines more than conclusive archival evidence.
Overall, “Twilight of Empire” is, in my view, a powerful, necessary — and provocative — re-examination of the Brest-Litovsk moment. It doesn’t aim for neat answers. Instead, it shows how war, revolution, empire collapse, nationalism, and social upheaval intertwined in ways that shaped the 20th-century map of Europe. For readers interested in World War I, the Russian Revolution, or the birth of modern Eastern Europe, this book is as illuminating as it is unsettling.
September 8, 2023
An insightful and well-written study of one of history’s most punitive peace treaties.
The story of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk has a lot of interesting elements, from the cynical diplomatic machinations of all sides, to the Bolsheviks’ displays of contempt for diplomatic tradition, the Bolsheviks’ attempts to use the negotiations to spread revolution, and the interplay between Germany’s government and military brass. Many accounts of the negotiations focus on these aspects, but much of this book deals with the peace’s impact on eastern Europe as a whole, as well as on domestic politics. The book also does a good job showing the influence of the Habsburg and Ottoman empires; many authors simply focus on Germany.
Chernev does a good job setting up the treaty’s background and context, and in explaining the role of various eastern European nationalist groups. The maps are also good. Chernev argues that the Russians could have acquired less harsher terms if they had been more sincere. He doesn’t provide much evidence to support that, and I’m not sure he could have anyway. He also argues that the treaty helped bolster the rise of ideas about “national self-determination,” but that could have been developed better as well.
A balanced and well-researched work.
The story of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk has a lot of interesting elements, from the cynical diplomatic machinations of all sides, to the Bolsheviks’ displays of contempt for diplomatic tradition, the Bolsheviks’ attempts to use the negotiations to spread revolution, and the interplay between Germany’s government and military brass. Many accounts of the negotiations focus on these aspects, but much of this book deals with the peace’s impact on eastern Europe as a whole, as well as on domestic politics. The book also does a good job showing the influence of the Habsburg and Ottoman empires; many authors simply focus on Germany.
Chernev does a good job setting up the treaty’s background and context, and in explaining the role of various eastern European nationalist groups. The maps are also good. Chernev argues that the Russians could have acquired less harsher terms if they had been more sincere. He doesn’t provide much evidence to support that, and I’m not sure he could have anyway. He also argues that the treaty helped bolster the rise of ideas about “national self-determination,” but that could have been developed better as well.
A balanced and well-researched work.
December 15, 2021
A good in-depth look at the often overlooked treaty of Brest-Litovsk, including an analysis of the situation in Ukraine, the Great January Strike in Austria and a discussion on Bulgarian war aims. It also provides a close look at early Bolshevik foreign policy and the differing appraisals and proposals of Soviet leaders in terms of war, peace and revolution.
May 17, 2022
Well-written, showing how minor powers (in this case, Bulgaria and Ukraine, but also Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Empire) could tip the balance in historical events. Rather lively for diplomatic history, too, with stories of drunkenness, stupidity and even an occasional suicide or murder colouring the high-politics canvas.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews