The 1918 Occupation of the Ukraine by the Central Powers

The Central Powers occupied the Ukraine between February and November 1918: In the End of January the Ukraine Peoples Republic declared its independence from Russia. The Central Powers used this opportunity to make peace with the Ukraine. The Ukrainian Rada government, which was under pressure by the Red Guards of the Bolsheviks, sent a call for help to the Central Powers. They reacted promptly and occupied the Ukraine. But their main aim was to get as fast and as much as possible food supplies for their starving people. The second strategy was to weaken the Bolsheviks by strengthening the national movements in the West of the former Czarist Russia and to widen its own field of interest. But the strategy just rose partly: Soviet Russia was cut of its important food supplies in the Ukraine and the industrial region in the East of the Ukraine; but the Civil War in the Ukraine could not be pacified. So the Central Powers were involved in a guerrilla war, so they became a part of the chaotic Russian Civil War. Because of a change in the occupation policy the situation eased a little during the summer. But the fast disempowerment of the German depended regime of Hetman Pavlo Skoropadsky after the retreat of the occupation troops, showed the weakness of the regime. So, the occupation of the Ukraine was a disaster for the Central Powers: The prospective one million tons of food never was exported to Germany and Austria-Hungary, because of the riots not enough troops could be sent to the other fronts, and the Ukraine could not be dissolved out of Soviet Russia - for now. A network of international scholars will work on a number of questions, which arose from this topic: They will work on the history of Central and Eastern Europe, which has not been scholarly treated adequate up to now. Most important for this is research in Eastern European and Russian Archives. Topical, the occupation structure and policy of the Central Powers, and the export from and import in the Ukraine will be examined. The reaction of the Ukrainian people and the Russian and the Ukrainian Bolsheviks will be important topics. Which strategies were mapped out to fight the Central Powers? Which consequences had this first foreign intervention in the Russian Civil war on the further course of this conflict? In considering these complex event, is the Russian Civil war generally a civil war? How did the Entente react on the intervention of the Central Powers in Soviet Russia? The results of this two-year project will be sum up in a book. This will be presented at an international conference to the public and scientific community.

The Central Powers occupied the Ukraine between February and November 1918: In the End of January the Ukraine Peoples Republic declared its independence from Russia. The Central Powers used this opportunity to make peace with the Ukraine. The Ukrainian Rada government, which was under pressure by the Red Guards of the Bolsheviks, sent a call for help to the Central Powers. They reacted promptly and occupied the Ukraine. But their main aim was to get as fast and as much as possible food supplies for their starving people. The second strategy was to weaken the Bolsheviks by strengthening the national movements in the West of the former Czarist Russia and to widen its own field of interest. But the strategy just rose partly: Soviet Russia was cut of its important food supplies in the Ukraine and the industrial region in the East of the Ukraine; but the Civil War in the Ukraine could not be pacified. So the Central Powers were involved in a guerrilla war, so they became a part of the chaotic Russian Civil War. Because of a change in the occupation policy the situation eased a little during the summer. But the fast disempowerment of the German depended regime of Hetman Pavlo Skoropadsky after the retreat of the occupation troops, showed the weakness of the regime. So, the occupation of the Ukraine was a disaster for the Central Powers: The prospective one million tons of food never was exported to Germany and Austria-Hungary, because of the riots not enough troops could be sent to the other fronts, and the Ukraine could not be dissolved out of Soviet Russia - for now. A network of international scholars will work on a number of questions, which arose from this topic: They will work on the history of Central and Eastern Europe, which has not been scholarly treated adequate up to now. Most important for this is research in Eastern European and Russian Archives. Topical, the occupation structure and policy of the Central Powers, and the export from and import in the Ukraine will be examined. The reaction of the Ukrainian people and the Russian and the Ukrainian Bolsheviks will be important topics. Which strategies were mapped out to fight the Central Powers? Which consequences had this first foreign intervention in the Russian Civil war on the further course of this conflict? In considering these complex event, is the Russian Civil war generally a civil war? How did the Entente react on the intervention of the Central Powers in Soviet Russia? The results of this two-year project will be sum up in a book. This will be presented at an international conference to the public and scientific community.