How wise was the journey towards peace 1918-19? Section 2 Examine how the tone of those leading the armistice commemorations influenced international relations up to 1945, as well as the terms of the subsequent Treaty of Versailles

The site of the Armistice at Compiegne Activity One – The Alsace Lorraine Monument on the site of the Armistice at Compiegne Discuss the following questions with others from your group: 1. Study the photograph carefully. How would you describe the surroundings? Why might a meeting to discuss a possible armistice between German and Allied high ranking personnel have taken place here? 2. Study the memorial carefully. Describe what you can see can see and try to work out what it symbolises. 3. Is it an appropriate memorial to represent the start of a peace process following four years of fighting? This slide and the next are best used on a site visit to Compiegne; however, they have been phrased in such a way that they can also be used as a virtual visit – simply using the photographs of the site as evidence to help complete the tasks.

Germans must accept all the blame for the war All German troops must evacuate all French territory immediately and All German prisoners will remain in captivity Germans must accept all the blame for the war   The Allied blockade, which had prevented food from reaching Germany, will remain in force Germany must pay for all damage caused during the war The allied forces will occupy Germany No armistice will begin until Germans sign the agreement to all terms Germany will surrender 5,000 railway locomotives, ships, submarines, aeroplanes, 2,500 heavy guns, 2,500 field guns, 25,000 machine-guns and 3,000 trench mortars Germany has 72 hours in which to agree to all these terms Activity Two – Discussions at the Railway Carriage Once the German delegation arrived at this forest clearing, General Foch for the allies asked General Maxime Weygand, the spokesperson for Germany, to read out to them the conditions they must agree to in order for an armistice to come into effect. It was emphasised to the Germans that there was to be no compromise. The terms are listed in the table on the left. Which of the terms do you think were fair? Which were unfair? Explain your reasons. Can you work out the rough date that the photograph on the right might have been taken? How might the terms listed in the table you have just studied help to explain what you can see in this photograph?

Activity Three – Photographs as Evidence 1918 1940 2018 Activity Three – Photographs as Evidence 1. All three photographs above were taken at the site of the 1918 armistice that brought an end to the fighting on the Western Front. Try to explain the reasons (purpose) why each of the photograph would have been taken been taken. Clue: Adolf Hitler is in the 1940 photograph, during the Second World War. On this date, the French agreed to allow Nazi Germany to take over control of a large area of France which it had occupied. 2. With the benefit of hindsight, decide with your group on 3 replacement terms you might have advised Marshal Foch to seek from the German representatives, which could have led to a more stable peace. Activity Four – The Last Train Memorial Off the main road back towards Compiègne, there's a signposted forest path that would take you to a memorial. It commemorates the last deportation of Jews from Compiegne, who travelled from the station there along the train line to Buchenwald Death Camp. 56,000 Jews died in this camp during the Second World War. Is there a link between the terms of the armistice, and the subsequent very similar terms of the Treaty of Versailles, and the events recalled by this memorial?