Did you know that peace was reached for World War I in the 11th month, on the 11th day, at the 11th hour in 1918

Peace on the 11^th Hour of the 11^th Day in the 11^th Month

Did you know that peace was reached for World War I in the 11^th month, on the 11^th day, at the 11^th hour in 1918? In the next few paragraphs, three stages of armistice are covered: what lead up to the peace, the treaty itself, and the reaction to the armistice. Read on to learn about how the difficult process of peace was reached.

This drawing (to the left) shows many soldiers and citizens from all over the world rejoicing. There are males females, middle aged, older, wealthy, and poor people. There are all different types and nationalities. The people are from Russia, France, the United States, Finland, and many other countries.

It shows people waving flags, waving their hands, and rejoicing in other various ways. This represents unity among the countries, because they know peace has been reached.

This drawing took place in the middle of Trafalgar Square in London, Great Britain. It is raining, but everyone is still jubilant. This took place on Armistice Day, which is November 11^th, 1918.

The artist is probably also rejoicing in the peace that has been reached. He/she probably predicts unity and peace all over the world, because that’s what the picture represents.

There is one bias in this source. Germany and its allies were not included, because they weren’t happy that they lost. This source shows that everyone is happy, but that wasn’t true. It also might offend some Germans.

This primary source somewhat represents our information. There were scenes like the one in this drawing in hundreds of cities around the world, but one important scene was missing: the German point of view, and the streets of their cities.

Leading Up to Armistice

Peace was soon in sight near the middle of 1918. The Germans were deteriorating, both in terms of military and citizens. Near the start of the war, in 1915, 240 Germans were dying of starvation each day. That number skyrocketed to 800 Germans dying from lack of food every day in 1918. There were also food strikes and riots often.

The military was also falling apart. On August 6^th, 1918, the last German offensive failed. That was during the Second Battle of Marne, the turning point of the war. The so-called “black day of the German army” took place on August 8^th. General Foch led the Allied forces to capture 21,000 German soldiers on that day.

There were also problems with rebelling soldiers from Germany. Some soldiers managed to take over the German naval station of Kiel. Another problem was that Germany had a major shortage of soldiers and equipment. One-half of all the guns were taken, and one-fourth of the soldiers were captured.

The Allied forces launched three more main offensives before peace was reached. The U.S.A. led the Battle of St. Mihiel on September 12, 1918. On September 19, the British led the Battle of Migiddo in Palestine. The Meuse-Argonne offensive was started on September 26. It was the largest offensive for the United States during the whole war. All of these battles helped to bring the war closer to an end, and they helped the Germans realize that they couldn’t win.

One more problem the Germans had was that their allies, the Central Powers, were all leaving the war. They did on September 30, 18^th. The Ottoman Empire signed a truce on October 30^th. Austria-Hungary quit the war soon after, on November 4, 1918. All of these events led to armistice in mid-November with Germany.

Armistice

There were many terms to the treaty. Here are the demands in smaller groupings, such as things that are given up, where, and how many troop to evacuate from war zones.

One thing is that the treaties of Brest-Litousk and Bucharest needed to be put back in action. The treaty was signed at 5 in the morning, and had to start six hours after it was signed. It would formally start in the year on 1918, during the eleventh month, on the eleventh day, and at the eleventh hour. Also, armistice had to last for at least 30 days. There was not to be anything moved off the territory of the left bank of the Rhine; everything was to be left intact. Many troops were to be moved. Immediate clearings of Belgium, France, Alsace-Lorraine had to be completed in 14 days. Anyone left would become prisoners of war. One more thing that the treaty required was the evacuation of troops located in the left bank of Rhine, Mayence, Coblance, and Cologne, all occupied of a radius of 30 kilometers. On the right bank there was to be a neutral zone 30 to 40 kilometers long. It had to be cleared in at least 11 days. In the east, all troops were to withdraw behind the boundaries on August 1, 1914.

Here is the list of the bulk demands. There were to be 5,000 cannons, 30,000 guns, 3,000 trench mortars, and 2,000 planes surrendered. Also, 5,000 trains, 150,000 railway coaches, and 10,000 trucks were to be given up. Complete surrenders of East Africa, the property of the Belgian Bank, and Russian and Rumanian gold were expected. Most importantly, they were to return all prisoners of war. Another thing that was expected of the Germans was 160 U-boats, 8 light cruisers, 6 Dreadnaughts, and the rest of the fleet to be disarmed and handed over to the Allies. The complete assurance of free trade through the Cattegat Sound and the clearance of mine fields were also required. The blockade was to stay in effect, and all German ships were to be captured. Finally, all limitations by Germany on neutral shipping were to be removed.

The armistice was formally signed in a General Foch’s railway carriage. Foch was born in Tarbs, France. He was commander of the XX Corps. At the end of the war, Foch became the president of the Allied Military Committee at Versailes. When it came time to sign, all German representatives arrived at the Allied headquarters in Compiégn, France on November 4, 1918. Part of the agreement was that Kaiser Wilhelm had to leave his country of Germany. He ended up fleeing to the Netherlands. After the war, Germany became a republic.

Reaction to Armistice

As soon as peace was reached, people all over the world rejoiced in many ways. United States pilots yelled phrases like

“I’ve lived through the war!” and

“We wont be shot at any more!”

Citizens of France, The U.S., and Great Britain were extremely joyful. They crowded the streets, yelling and rejoicing. However, many families were not as happy. They were mourning for lost soldiers. People packed churches to remember those lost.

In conclusion, the battles, food riots, and everything else that led to armistice being reached was very important. Without this treaty of peace, the world would be an extremely different place today.

Bibliography

“Foch.” March 14, 2002. http://raven.cc.ukans.edu/~kansite/ww_one/bio/f/foch.html

Stuckey, Sterling. Call to Freedom: 1865 to the Present. Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winsten, 2001.

**Please e-mail bigalkeg@osseo.k12.mn.us with questions or comments.