Given that there is most likely still Russian troops in the Baltic states, Finland and Ukraine, wouldn't a German promise to guarantee the independence of these breakaway provinces essentially be a German declaration of war on Russia?
Not when Russia isn't in a state to fight Germany, as shown in the update below!
Its update time! Please comment thoughts and feedback.
The Russian Constitution and the Civil War
Upon the restoration of order to the Russian Republic by August, the election of the “Peoples Duma” went ahead as planned. The opening of the Peoples Duma was scheduled for October 3.
By the time the votes were counted, the radical parties had won a total victory. The Mensheviks had gained almost all the proletariat vote, while the SRs had gained the peasant vote. The Bolsheviks only secured 6 seats, while the conservative parties were too disorganised and only gained 10 seats out of the 368 seat Duma.
Due to the overwhelming majority of the Mensheviks and SRs, it was decided that the government would be formed out of a Menshevik-SR coalition, with Martov being elected chairman of the Peoples Council (a thirteen strong council), with Trotsky being commissar of War, and Chernov being commissar of the peasantry.
The flag of the Soviet Republic of Russia
A new constitution was also drafted, where it was decided by the Mensheviks and SRs that due to their control of 96% of the Duma, the SR-Menshevik coalition would make all the decisions, while all other parties would not have the final say in running the country. This decision would cause a Bolshevik and Kadet walkout, much to the coalitions delight. The rest of the first Convention of the Peoples Duma would prove to be quite productive for the new government. New policies were enacted, with the gradual nationalization of the nation’s economy, the granting of noble land to the peasantry, the establishment of several laws regarding workers’ rights and the establishment of a secular state. Further, the Duma recognized the independence of the Baltic States, Poland, Finland, and the Ukraine. Although Trotsky argued for the army to invade the aforementioned countries, the fact that Germany had signed economic and military treaties with these countries, as well as war weariness, meant that military intervention was a not a possiblility.
Upon news of the new constitution, many workers and peasants looked to a bright future. However, conservative forces rose up with loyalist Cossacks in the Kuban, and Kazakh region, declaring the new government to be illegitimate, the constitution to be unlawful and promising to reinstate the Tsar to the throne. Further, the Bolsheviks seized government buildings in Moscow, declaring the new government to be “ignorant of the proletariat wishes”.
Although the Bolshevik rising would be crushed within days (Lenin would flee to France), conservative forces would only be defeated in November 1906, and it is possible that the Russian Civil War would have gone on for another year if it wasn’t for the disunity of the conservative or White forces and the brilliance of Trotsky. Further, the end of the Russian Civil War would bring the new Soviet Republic much needed stability and order. However, the Civil War would prevent the Russians from participating in the Franco-German War, a rather short lived war which would redefine the order of Europe and would vastly affect the next century and beyond.
