A truce involves the interruption of hostilities for a certain period of time.
Truce is a concept that refers to the cessation of hostilities for a certain time between two or more adversaries. The truce does not mean the end of the war or the conflict , but rather a momentary suspension .
The duration of the truce is variable: it can range from a few days to several years. The interruption of a war can occur in various ways, without always talking about a truce. When the suspension of fighting is limited to a certain place, it is called an armistice , while when the pause occurs for the fulfillment of certain essential measures, it is called a suspension of arms .
The Christmas Truce. a historical example
Shortly after the start of the First World War , a relatively brief "ceasefire" took place between the troops of Great Britain and the German Empire , just before Christmas 1914 . This truce began on December 24 and was a true symbol of how absurd war is: German soldiers decorated their trenches and began singing Christmas carols, mainly " Silent Night ", to which the British responded with their own songs.
After such a celebration, both sides exchanged Christmas greetings and, later, gifts such as bottles of alcoholic beverages and tobacco. The truce lasted all night, and this resulted in the recovery of the recently fallen soldiers to give them their well-deserved burial, in peace . During the ceremonies there were no barriers: everyone mourned their losses together and offered their respects to each other, even sharing a reading of a fragment of the Bible .
The Christmas Truce transcended the limits of the military context, since both nations ceased their confrontations in many areas, sports being one of the most prominent. The war continued after Christmas Eve , but in other sectors the truce was extended until the beginning of the following year.
It is worth mentioning that the decision to end the attacks during Christmas did not have the support of the entirety of both armies ; In fact, shortly before, Pope Benedict XV had expressed his desire for a truce and it had been denied.
From the following year until the end of the war, various measures were taken to ensure that a truce would not take place again: attacks were intensified around the holidays and soldiers were prevented from familiarizing themselves with their "enemies" , through frequent rotations. Despite these attempts, Christmas 1914 was not the last occasion in which the troops demonstrated their sensitivity and their desire to live.
The truce requires an agreement or pact.
Other uses of the term
The notion of truce can be used in other contexts, although it is always linked to a conflict or confrontation. The term is usually used in everyday speech with considerably less weight than it has in a war environment, generally between two or more people who have an emotional bond who wish to end an argument .
The expression “not giving a truce” , meanwhile, is related to the fact of persecuting a person or objective continuously and without rest : “I am not going to give a truce to the criminals” , “The minister assured that he will not give a truce in the fight against inflation .
"The Truce" by Benedetti
The Uruguayan writer Mario Benedetti is the author of “La tregua” , a novel published in 1960 and considered one of the best works of Latin American literature. The book presents the story of Martín Santomé , a 49-year-old widower who begins a romantic relationship with a woman considerably younger than him.
Benedetti 's novel had several film versions that also carried the title "The Truce" ; An Argentine film from 1970 and another Mexican film released in 2003 can be mentioned.