An armistice implies a suspension of hostilities.
Armistice is a term that comes from a Latin word and is used to refer to the suspension of hostilities agreed between armies in conflict. The armistice represents a ceasefire, although it does not necessarily imply the signing of a peace treaty .
Armistices are usually agreed to suspend battles for a certain special period, such as Greek cities not attacking each other during the Olympic Games or Christian armies accepting a temporary peace at Christmas time.
On some occasions, the negotiation of an armistice can fail without stopping the armed conflict. This means that, despite the negotiation between the leaders or authorities of the opposing sides, the armies maintain their confrontations in the absence of an agreement.
Armistices and peace treaties
Many times armistices are finalized, but the signing of a peace treaty is not. That is the case of South Korea and North Korea , which established an armistice in 1953 but never concluded a peace agreement.
In general it can be stated that the armistice is the first step towards a peace treaty. Although, at the end of the agreed period of non-aggression, there is a possibility that the conflict will break out again, the most common thing is that the political authorities end up signing peace.
The armistice can be a first step towards peace.
The Christmas Truce
An armistice known as the Christmas Truce took place during World War I. It was a ceasefire between the armies of Germany and Great Britain during the holidays, Christmas 1914 . It all started at the initiative of the German troops: on December 24 they began to decorate the trenches and sing Christmas carols in their language. Upon hearing them, the British fighters joined in, responding with Christmas carols in English.
That day an exchange of songs and Christmas greetings took place between those who had been fighting hours before and who would continue doing so the next day. This truce encouraged them to share with their companions the peace typical of these days and the celebration led them to exchange gifts with the soldiers of the opposite side . Furthermore, they took advantage of the truce to bury the fallen and mourn the losses; They did it together and concluded by reading a fragment of Psalm 23 ( "The Lord is my shepherd" ).
There are many captivating stories that took place that day. Throughout the entire battle territory the bullets stopped and the soldiers were able to rest . In most places this armistice only lasted one night, but in others it extended until the New Year. Despite the opposition of the superiors, the entire army remained on strike, celebrating as best they could those days in which the rest of the world enjoyed the company of their own.
This event was unique and received severe criticism from army superiors. The following year during these days artillery bombardments were ordered to ensure that the combatants did not weaken in the midst of combat. Another measure taken to prevent this peaceful truce was to rotate the troops by sectors to prevent them from becoming too familiar with the enemy. Despite everything, they could not prevent some peaceful encounters from taking place between soldiers from both sides. It is important to note that these types of truces are extremely common in wars and are known as informal armistices.
The idea of armistice in colloquial language
Although the use of the term is not very frequent, in everyday language an armistice can be referred to as the cessation of aggression in the middle of an argument or fight.
“We are going to agree to an armistice for dinner and then we will continue talking to resolve the issue, do you agree?” is an expression that shows this use of the notion.