The Seventh Party Congress in March 1918 passed this resolution for peace, thus endorsing the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk:

“In view of the fact that we have no army, that our troops at the front are in a most demoralised condition and that we must make use of every possible breathing spell to slow imperialist attacks on the Soviet Socialist Republic, the Congress resolves to accept the most onerous and humiliating peace treaty which the Soviet Government has signed with Germany.

At this stage of the social revolution, it is historically inevitable that the imperialistic states (west and east) should make frequent attacks on Soviet Russia. Both the internal conditions arising from the class struggle within each country and the international situation are almost certain to bring about at any time, even within the next few days, an imperialistic offensive against the socialist movement in general, and against the Russian Socialist Republic in particular.

Under the circumstances, this Congress declares that the first and most fundamental task of our party… and of the Soviet Government is to make the most energetic and ruthlessly resolute steps to raise the discipline and self-discipline of the workers and peasants of Russia… The Congress perceives that the only hope for the success of the Socialist Revolution, which so far has been victorious only in Russia, is by turning it into an international workers’ revolution.

The Congress believes that from the point of view of the international revolution, the decision taken by the Soviet Government [signing the treaty] was unavoidable and inevitable under the present correlation of international forces. Believing that the workers’ revolution is steadily growing in all belligerent countries, and is preparing the inevitable and complete defeat of capitalism, the Congress declares that the socialist proletariat of Russia will do everything within its power and use all its resources to help the proletarian revolutionary movement in all countries.”