ETymologically, the word armistice comes from Latin. It is made up of two elements: “arma”, which means “weapons”, and “sistere”, which means “to stop” or “to stop”. Thus, armistice literally means “stopping of arms”. This term therefore designates a cessation of fighting, a moment of suspension of hostilities between two warring parties.
November 11 commemorates the end of the First World War. 106 years ago, the “Great War” ended in Europe, on November 11, 1918, with the Armistice signed at 5:15 a.m. in Compiègne, in Hauts-de-France. The war of 14-18 ended after four years of painful and bloody fighting. The document, signed by the American, French, British (the camp of the Allied forces) and German leaders in a train car, marks the end of the war. Ten million people would have lost their lives.
In Belgium, this figure is around 600,000 victims. A few hours later, around 11 a.m., the bells ring. Their ringing announces the victory of the Allies. The ceasefire is established. In fact, the Armistice lasted 36 days. It therefore had to be renewed several times until the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, definitively ratifying the end of the First World War.
Signing on a train
Signing the Armistice on a train: the idea is surprising. One would have thought that the winners would want to show off their victory for all to see. This is not the case. By choosing to withdraw into a clearing, the Allied staff wanted to be isolated from journalists. He also wanted to avoid humiliation of the German delegation. The choice of the city of Compiègne owes nothing to chance. This city suffered greatly during the Great War. Signing the Armistice in this place is a true tribute to those who died during the war.
Museums of the Great War
In Europe, cultural places have emerged to pay tribute to the victims of the Great War and not to forget the horror of the fighting. In Ypres, the war is presented on the front in West Flanders at the “In Flanders Fields Museum”. It is housed in the reconstructed Cloth Hall of Ypres, a major symbol of the suffering caused by war and the resurrection that followed it. In Meaux, in France, the Museum of the Great War was designed, the largest dedicated to this period of history. More than 70,000 objects and documents are available to visitors, allowing them to better understand daily life in the trenches, the place of women in combat…
