| December 25 |  |
Editor says, Alternate Historian Robbie Taylor explores the Christmas Truce of 1914, and asks what if peace broke out in the Trenches?
| Share this Article on: |  Facebook |  Twitter |
In 1914, British and German troops begin an unofficial truce in the war in France.Christmas Truce
They warily cross the no-man's land they had been fighting over, exchange drink, food and small gifts; they even play football together. When they are ordered to begin fighting by their superiors, they refuse; their rebellion spreads across the lines until a great pacifist movement topples the governments of all the European powers fighting in the war, and replaces them with governments committed to peace.
Pictured, a cross, left near Ypres in Belgium in 1999, to commemorate the site of the Christmas Truce in 1914. The text reads 1914 - The Khaki Chum's Christmas Truce. 1999. 85 Years. Lest We Forget. Watch the Youtube Clip 
Entry posted by Alternate Historian Robbie Taylor
© Robbie Taylor, 2004-Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Religion Source: Wikipedia Labels: Christmas Truce, World War 1, Peace, Love, War.
~ If only this were true.
~ The French would have sabotaged it---they took the war more seriously than the UK did. To be fair, the Germans _were_ on French territory.
~ Re Kirk Edwards' comment: Hear, hear. Unfortunately, it's not in human nature. As for Eric Oppen's remark, the French were so determined to avenge their defrat in the Franco-Prussian War forty years earlier that it's unlikely in the extreme that they would go along with a truce which left "les Boches" unhurt.
~ Even so, with this truce and especially with the one in 1915, it took a good six months to get the war going again by cycling in fresh troops who hadn't enjoyed Christmas with the enemy. The next Christmases, artillery barrages were kept up despite the holiday to prevent more fraternization.
Comment from Josh Sholty on Facebook: Most of the governments would have become socialist. I wonder what Socialism would look like without the Stalinist-Leninist dictatorship. Especially, if they could have lasted longer than 85 years.
© Today in Alternate History, 2013-. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
