Two Treaties

Time was a butcher's knife. No matter how stubbornly Prussia and Russia held out, they had no choice but to bow before it.

After more than two months of negotiations, on July 18, 1881, Prussia and Russia finally, and reluctantly, reached an agreement under the mediation of all parties.

It was truly reluctant. Neither the Tsarist Government nor the Berlin Government was satisfied with this peace treaty.

But the grain stores at home were running low. To avoid starving to death, they had no choice but to compromise.

The end of the war did not mean money was no longer needed. Pensions for fallen and disabled soldiers, resettling retired officers and men, and postwar economic reconstruction all required enormous sums.

Prussia and Russia did not dare empty their own purses. A government without emergency funds faced more than mere fiscal bankruptcy.

If the soldiers were not properly settled, serious chaos would break out. Mutiny would be the least of it; the real fear was that someone would raise an arm and shout, "Revolution," and then the revolution would come.

The United Kingdom, France, and Austria had stated their position clearly: only after an armistice treaty was signed would the international community consider providing assistance.

These days, the United Kingdom, France, and Austria were the international community. With the three powers in agreement, all the remaining countries combined did not amount to much.

Postwar reconstruction could be delayed, but demobilization and resettlement had to proceed. Without financial support from the international community, even the victorious Russian Empire would not be able to hold on.

Both Prussia and Russia made concessions—or rather, the three powers helped them make concessions. The treaty terms were as follows:

1. The Kingdom of Prussia acknowledged its defeat and accepted responsibility for the war;

2. East Prussia,