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The Christmas truce of 1914 is a story many of us have heard, but it’s well worth revisiting. It’s almost too good to be true.When the angels appeared to the shepherds outside Bethlehem on that night more than 2,000 years ago, they spoke of the great tidings of the incarnation and sang what has become the universal Christmas prayer of the centuries: “Peace on Earth and goodwill toward men.”Perhaps those same Christmas angels were singing over the Western Front in 1914, when the guns fell silent.The Christmas truce of 1914 is one of those stories many of us have heard,...

World War I had no good guys and no winners. France rightly sought the return of the provinces Germany had annexed in 1870. Russia rightly feared that German influence would sever its industrial centers and tax base in the Western parts of it its empire; England feared that Germany would encroach on its overseas empire; Germany feared that Russia’s railroad system would overcome its advantage in mobility and firepower. None of them wanted a war, but each of them decided that it was better to fight in 1914 than fight later at a disadvantage. Historian Christopher Clark in his 2013...

The Treaty of Versailles was signed in Versailles, France, on June 28, 1919. Neither the winners nor the losers of World War I were happy with the formal conclusion to the bloodbath. The traditional criticism of the treaty is that the victorious French and British democracies did not listen to the pleas of leniency from progressive American President Woodrow Wilson. Instead, they added insult to the German injury by blaming Germany for starting the war. The final treaty demanded German reparations for war losses. It also forced Germany to cede territory to its victorious neighbors. The harsh terms of the...

Today marks the hundredth anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Though the treaty ended World War I — supposedly the "war to end all wars" — it practically ensured future conflict and charted a course directly toward World War II. A century after its signing, it remains an object lesson reminding us what kind of disasters lurk when self-righteous progressives, who think they can run the world, get their hands on the levers of power. The basis of the treaty was the progressive internationalism of college professor–turned-president Woodrow Wilson. Wilson had only two years of political experience...

“God is dead,” proclaimed Friedrich Nietzsche in 1882. While this is not meant to be taken in a literal sense, it is certainly a provocative observation to come from the reclusive philosopher. Nietzsche’s generation, one that would embrace ideas like Darwinism, Marxism, and Positivism, had revolutionized the intellectual landscape to a point that could not be reversed. It is often thought that Europe became a continent of atheists and agnostics after World War I, and that the spiritual fabric of Europeans resembled the French farmland that had been destroyed by four years of conflict. While this may not be a...

Looks like an amazing film. Just saw the preview on TV.

PARIS — President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel his visit to an American military cemetery outside of Paris threatened to overshadow his trip here, as government officials, historians and fellow Republicans hammered him for more than 24 hours for that move. “President@realDonaldTrump a no-show because of raindrops? Those veterans the president didn’t bother to honor fought in the rain, in the mud, in the snow — & many died in trenches for the cause of freedom. Rain didn’t stop them & it shouldn’t have stopped an American president,” wrote former Secretary of State John Kerry, a veteran of the Vietnam...

First Lady Melania Trump was all class in Paris, France, on Saturday as she and President Donald Trump visited French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, to commemorate the ending of World War I. Mrs. Trump arrived to meet Mrs. Macron in Paris wearing a sleek dark navy off-the-runway Bottega Veneta suit with black leather gloves, a French twist hairdo, and slick black snakeskin Christian Louboutin stilettos. The Bottega Veneta dress is from the Italian luxury brand’s Fall 2017 runway collection while the Louboutin snakeskin pumps are a favorite from the First Lady’s wardrobe. Mrs. Trump’s sleek look...

WARSAW, Poland (AP) – Poland is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its rebirth as an independent state on Sunday with a multitude of events across the country, including marches, Masses, and the national hymn being sung in more than 600 public places. The national white-and-red flag fluttered from buildings and buses, dignitaries and regular citizens placed flowers and wreaths at memorials to the father of Polish independence, Marshal Jozef Pilsudski, and the historic Sigismund Bell, reserved only for the most important national events, rang out over Krakow. Poland regained its independence at the end of World War I in...

US President Donald Trump was forced to cancel his attendance on Saturday at a commemoration in France for US soldiers and marines killed in World War I because rain made it impossible to arrange transport. “[The attendance of the president and first lady] has been canceled due to scheduling and logistical difficulties caused by the weather,” the White House said according to Reuters, adding that Chief of Staff John Kelly, who is a former general, went instead. While the president was scheduled to attend the ceremony at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in Belleau, rain and low clouds prevented his helicopter...

The White House and President Trump took some heat on Saturday after it was announced that he would not make a previously scheduled visit to a cemetery in France for Americans killed in World War I due to inclement weather. Trump arrived in France on Friday to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, along with first lady Melania Trump. They'd planned to visit Ainse-Marne American Cemetery in Belleau, France. The president was expected to lay a wreath and observe a moment of silence. The first couple was supposed to travel to the site via helicopter,...

The eleventh, day of the eleventh month is either today or tomorrow depending on where you live.

The Great War of 1914-1918 was the defining event of our time: a lost generation of millions dead or maimed; mournful widows and orphans; empires toppled and nations shattered; Western civilization damaged; vast treasures sacrificed. And in war's aftermath, democracies stillborn and totalitarianism and vengeance enthroned. How did it happen? Keegan, despite his vast expertise, confesses that even when one knows what happened, it is difficult to explain why. "The First World War is a mystery. Its origins are mysterious. So is its course. Why did a prosperous continent, at the height of its success as a source and agent...

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I on French soil, and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will be in London at a ceremony in Westminster Abby with Queen Elizabeth II. But while the leaders visit the capitals of Germany's wartime enemies, at home there are no national commemorations planned for the centenary of the Nov. 11 armistice that brought an end to the four-year war that killed more than 2 million of its troops and left 4 million wounded. Next week, German parliament is holding a combined commemoration of the 100th anniversary...

Donald Trump is to hold meetings with Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Paris as world leaders arrive in western Europe for ceremonies to mark 100 years since the end of the first world war. Emmanuel Macron, the French president and host for the armistice ceremonies in Paris on 11 November, hopes to use the emotion of the occasion to warn that a nationalist resurgence led by authoritarian leaders – an outcome of the flawed ending of the first world war – will threaten liberal democracies and the institutions of multilateralism, the chief outcome of the second world war....

World War I ended with the Ottoman Empire vanquished and facing imminent collapse, its doomed alliance with Imperial Germany costing hundreds of thousands of Ottoman lives and dealing a death blow to the already creaking empire. But 100 years after the surrender of the Ottomans to the Allied powers at Mudros on October 30, 1918, the Great War is in no way seen as a pointless waste or even a defeat by modern Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Rather than focusing on the four years of devastating conflict that ended in the capitulation and eventual dissolution of the empire,...

In the land of religious history, Philip Jenkins towers like a giant. Here, we discuss the religious dimension of World War I and his newest book, “The Great and Holy War: How World War I Became a Religious Crusade.” RNS: You say that World War I was “a religious crusade.” This sounds like a scandalous idea. Can you explain what you mean? PJ: If I myself believed that it was a crusade, that would indeed be scandalous. Actually, I am arguing that a great many people at the time saw it in those terms, which is also scandalous, in a...

World War I was one of the major events that shook mankind. Originated in Europe, the war lasted from July, 1914 to November, 1918. Filmmakers across the globe have tried to capture the essence of the events that changed the world forever. As First World War marks a century, here are 5 films that delved deep into what happened among the warring nations and how it affected the humanity at large. Paths of Glory The film starring Kirk Douglas as Colonel Dax is a narration of a soldier’s dilemma while motivating others for a bloody war. Douglas plays the commanding...

US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he will be visiting Paris on November 11th in honour of the centenary of the end of WWI. Trump who had planned to organise a military parade in November in Washington announced Friday that he would travel to Paris for the commemoration of the end of the First World War. The US president made the announcement on Twitter (see below) on Friday afternoon at the same as criticizing local politicians in Washington who he said were asking for too much money for the parade. "Never let anyone take you hostage!" he wrote....

​Exploring the impact of World War One on British, German and French art Marking the 100 years since the end of World War One, Aftermath: Art in the Wake of World War One looks at how artists responded to the physical and psychological scars left on Europe. Art was used in many ways in the tumultuous period after the end of the war, from documenting its destructive impact, to the building of public memorials and as a social critique. This fascinating and moving exhibition shows how artists reacted to memories of war in many ways. George Grosz and Otto Dix...