
Armistice Day: November 11, 1918 to November 11, 2018 - chablent
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anecdotes-from-the-archive/armistice-day-november-11-1918-to-november-11-2018/
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B1FF_PSUVM
_" Unfortunately, propaganda and self-justification runs strongly as a theme
through much wartime and postwar literature—including in this magazine,[...]"_

And that is as close to apologizing and assuming guilt as I've seen from the
press that pushed millions to death a century ago.

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benj111
I went to the service in our local village. The read out a list of the dead,
just from our village, just from 1918. The last name we were told, died on
11/11/18\. I don't know if he was shot on that day, or died from earlier
injuries, but I'm having a hard time 'rationalising' that one. Did he know
peace was imminent, was he relieved to find out it was all over before he
died. Or was it someone who had nearly made it, before having it all snatched
away?

~~~
laumars
Unfortunately he was likely killed in combat:
[http://www.historynet.com/world-war-i-wasted-lives-on-
armist...](http://www.historynet.com/world-war-i-wasted-lives-on-armistice-
day.htm)

> _On November 11, 1918, Armistice Day, the American Expeditionary Forces
> (AEF) on the Western Front in France suffered more than thirty-five hundred
> casualties, although it had been known unofficially for two days that the
> fighting would end that day and known with absolute certainty as of 5
> o’clock that morning that it would end at 11 a.m._

~~~
black6
The war was extended for a sound byte. The elite Powers that Be let these
young men continue to kill each other for a cute quote for the history books:

“And on the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month, the
guns fell silent.”

Shameful.

~~~
RugnirViking
A peace deal has to be set to come into effect at some point in the future so
that the message can be spread along a very long line of soldiers, some of
whom may not have regular radio contact or be in small pockets. Not only do
you need time to inform everyone, you also have to set it at a specific time
after everyone is informed, so that you can make preperations with that in
mind - for example, getting ready to recover stranded wounded after the
ceasefire.

------
gcb0
> The European Powers took notice, and came to the conclusion modern wars were
> short and winnable [...]

and now
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annexation_of_Crimea_by_the_Ru...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annexation_of_Crimea_by_the_Russian_Federation#International_recognition)

~~~
eesmith
What does the pre-WWI view of wars have to do with Russia's annexation of
Crimea?

What about
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_invasion_of_Cyprus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_invasion_of_Cyprus)
?

WWI, WWII, the French and US involvement in Vietnam, the Soviet and US
involvements in Afghanistan, etc. have long demonstrated that the modern wars
aren't all 'short and winnable'.

Though the 1990–1991 Gulf War, plus the US invasions of Grenada and Panama,
may have helped re-foster that view in the US.

~~~
tylerflick
I would say that modern wars are 'short and winnable'. It's the nation
building part that isn't.

~~~
eesmith
What does a 'war' end?

War in Afghanistan (2001–present) -
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Afghanistan_(2001%E2%80...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Afghanistan_\(2001%E2%80%93present\))

When specifically did that war end and nation building begin? Who won the war?

EDIT: Is the Global War on Terrorism / Operation Enduring Freedom a "war"? It
certainly feels like an never-ending war.

~~~
7j
You forgot
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_Civil_War_(1992%E2%80%9...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_Civil_War_\(1992%E2%80%931996\))

And
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet%E2%80%93Afghan_War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet%E2%80%93Afghan_War)
before that.

And a long list even before that.

~~~
eesmith
I didn't omit the second - see my g'parent posting.

I left out the first because top-level thread comment concerned European
'Great Powers', and because I wanted to give a specific counter-point with the
major world superpower.

