The Bolsheviks revolted and took over Russia, killing the royal family and starting a new government. While doing so, they surrendered large parts of their land to Germany, including Poland. After the Russian Revolution occurred in 1917, Germany no longer had to fight a war on two fronts, and was able to shift a large portion of their army from the East to the Western Front.
The Russian Revolution had the effect of putting an end to the major arena of fighting on the Eastern Front in World War I. It temporarily helped the Germans by freeing up troops, but this advantage did not do the Germans much good. ... Throughout WWI, the Germans were fighting a two-front war.
