
[French, from New Latin armistitium : Latin arma, arms; see arm2 + Latin -stitium, a stopping.]
For more information on Armistice, visit Britannica.com.
noun
Definition: peace-establishing agreement
Antonyms: dispute, fight, war
See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.
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From our Archives: Today's Highlights, November 11, 2008
A suspending or cessation of hostilities between belligerent nations or forces for a considerable time. An armistice differs from a mere "suspension of arms" in that the latter is concluded for very brief periods and for local military purposes only, whereas an armistice not only covers a longer period, but is agreed upon for political purposes. It is said to be general if it relates to the whole area of the war, and partial if it relates to only a portion of that area. Partial armistices are sometimes called truces but there is no hard and fast distinction.
Armistice Day originated as a day set aside by the United States, Great Britain, and France to commemorate the signing of the armistice on November 11, 1918, that brought an end to World War I. After World War II, it became a day for tribute to those who lost their lives in that conflict as well. In Canada, it became known as Remembrance Day, and in Britain the Sunday closest to November 11 was declared Remembrance Sunday to honor the dead of both world wars. In 1938, the day was made a federal holiday in the United States.
In 1954, after the Korean War, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed an act of Congress (5 U.S.C.A. § 6103 (a) [1995]) to change the name of the holiday to Veterans Day "to honor veterans on the eleventh day of November of each year … a day dedicated to world peace." Thus, Veterans Day now honors all U.S. veterans of all wars. From 1971 to 1977, the holiday was celebrated on the fourth Monday in October, but in 1978, the traditional date of November 11 was restored.
Veterans Day celebrations in towns and cities in the United States usually include parades, speeches, and floral tributes placed on soldiers' graves or memorials, with special services held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C. Group naturalization ceremonies, in which individuals are made citizens of the United States, have also become part of Veterans Day celebrations.
(DOD) In international law, a suspension or temporary cessation of hostilities by agreement between belligerent powers.
The leaders of both countries agreed to the armistice.
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An armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, since it might be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the Latin arma, meaning weapons and statium, meaning a stopping.
A truce or ceasefire usually refers to a temporary cessation of hostilities for an agreed limited time or within a limited area. A truce may be needed in order to negotiate an armistice. An armistice is a modus vivendi and is not the same as a peace treaty, which may take months or even years to agree on. The 1953 Korean War Armistice Agreement[1] is a major example of an armistice which has not been followed by a peace treaty.
The United Nations Security Council often imposes or tries to impose cease-fire resolutions on parties in modern conflicts. Armistices are always negotiated between the parties themselves and are thus generally seen as more binding than non-mandatory UN cease-fire resolutions in modern international law.
The key aspect in an armistice is the fact that "all fighting ends with no one surrendering." This is in contrast to an unconditional surrender, which is a surrender without conditions, except for those provided by international law.[citation needed]
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Under International Law an armistice is a legal agreement (often in a document) which ends fighting between the "belligerent parties" of a war or conflict.[2] The Hague II (1899) Treaty, says "If its [e.g., the armistice's] duration is not fixed," the parties can resume fighting (Article 36) as they chose, but with proper notifications. This is in comparison to a "fixed duration" armistice, where the parties can renew fighting only at the end of the particular fixed duration.[3] When the belligerent parties say (in effect), "this armistice completely ends the fighting" without any end date for the armistice, then duration of the armistice is fixed in the sense that no resumption of the fighting is allowed at any time. For example, the Korean Armistice Agreement calls for a "ceasefire and armistice" and has the "objective of establishing an armistice which will insure a complete cessation of hostilities and of all acts of armed force in Korea until a final peaceful settlement is achieved..."
The most notable armistice, simply known by Europeans as "The Armistice", was the armistice at the end of World War I, on 11 November 1918, signed near Compiègne, France, and effective at the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month."[4]
1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and its neighbors Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.[5]
Korean War Armistice Agreement, July 1953.
Armistice Day is still celebrated in many countries on the anniversary of the World War I 1918 armistice; alternatively 11 November, or a Sunday near to it, may still be observed as a Remembrance Day.[6] In the United States of America, November 11 is observed as Veterans' Day.
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - våbenstilstand, våbenhvile
Nederlands (Dutch)
wapenstilstand
Français (French)
n. - armistice
Deutsch (German)
n. - Waffenstillstand, Waffenruhe
Português (Portuguese)
n. - armistício (m), trégua (f)
Español (Spanish)
n. - armisticio, tregua
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - vapenstillestånd
中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
休战, 停战, 休战协议
中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 休戰, 停戰, 休戰協定
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) هدنه
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - שביתת נשק
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