Tuesday, December 16, 2014

The 100th Anniversary of the Great Christmas Truce

I was thinking about what to write my father in his Christmas letter and decided to write of the Christmas Truce that happened in the trenches of WW I. I have heard the legends of fraternization between opposing soldiers from both sides ever since my activist days in the 60s, but thought I needed to bone up on the specifics, so I looked on Wikipedia. (Their article on this topic alone is reason enough to donate to their end-of-year fundraising drive.) I was startled to realize that this Christmas, 2014, is the 100th anniversary of the 1914 Christmas Truce. Since the centenary almost passed my attention, I’m sending this message to you on the theory that if it passed me by, it might be passing your attention as well.
In the run-up to World War I, it was almost universally opposed by the political left in all countries. The “Great War” was seen as an imperialist war, that is, a contest between capitalists over who would control the colonies. In direct opposition to the nationalist notion of fighting for our one’s ruling class in their efforts at world domination, the concept of “Internationalism” was quite appealing to many. Internationalism suggests that one’s first duty is to humanity, the people of the planet. “Workers of the World Unite!” rang the cry in those days just before the Russian revolution.
Unfortunately, the working class of the various major powers were swept up in narrow calls to patriotism and duty to fatherland. They found themselves in opposing trenches in spite of their better instincts. But in the months leading up to Christmas 1914 the Pope called for an official Christmas Truce (rebuffed by all sides), and the peace movement launched campaigns for a truce as well. Communists, anarchists, and many other leftists championed ending the war by building working class solidarity among the fighters of all nations, claiming “no war but class war.”
The antiwar and internationalist sentiment was still strong in those early years of WW I, and there were many, well-documented instances of non-cooperation that, according to Wikipedia, included “refusal to fight, unofficial truces, mutinies, strikes, and peace protests.” No doubt the most dramatic of these was the Christmas Truce of 1914, when 100,000 men emerged from their trenches to carol, swap smokes, shake hands, and in some areas play a friendly game of soccer in the no-man’s land separating their respective armies. This fraternization was opposed, of course, by the brass and politicians on every side, but in some areas the truce held past New Year’s Day. All told, the 1914 Christmas Truce was probably the greatest instance of soldiers choosing humanity over uniform in the history of the world.
Now, 100 years later, the cause of peace and internationalism is no less pressing. There now exists an international ruling class which has driven the global economy to the brink of melt-down, while the challenges of climate change, the state of the collapsing oceans, and other serious concerns make it clear that humanity is in the lifeboat together. What better time to draw inspiration from the greatest act of solidarity in world history?
Here’s some things to mention about the Great Christmas Truce in your celebrations on this, the centenary of that historic series of events:
Hostelling
Richard Schirrmann, founder of the first youth hostel, was a soldier in a German regiment in December 1915. He wrote about what he witnessed as soldiers from both sides came out to greet each other and “exchanged wine, cognac, and cigarettes for Westphalian black bread, biscuits, and ham.” Wikipedia says military discipline was soon restored, but Schirrman pondered over the incident and whether “thoughtful young people of all countries could be provided with suitable meeting places where they could get to know each other.” Inspired, he went on to found the German Youth Hostel Association in 1919, and as this new movement swept the world, he became president of the newly formed International Youth Hostel Association (now Hostel International), 1933-1936. Schirrmann attributed the Christmas Truce he witnessed as a key motivator behind the Youth Hostelling movement.
Football (soccer)
Perhaps the widest celebrations of the Truce’s centenary are coming from European soccer teams and fans. Earlier in Dec, 2014, England’s Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and President of the Football Association, dedicated a monument to the Truce and the historic informal soccer matches played between opposing armies 100 years ago. In his dedication speech, Prince William said, “This week teams at every level of the game have been coming together before matches to unite for mixed-team photos—evoking the spirit of the Christmas Truce.”
It turns out that “both British and German football supporters had been visiting the site [of one of the historic matches] for many years, leaving scarves and other mementos in remembrance of those who played and those who died.”
This year there was a special soccer match between teams from the British and German Armies, played in commemoration of the Christmas Truce.
Oddly enough, with all this focus on the Truce in Europe, there is nothing in the US press about it. I assume Amy Goodman will devote a segment to it on her news show, “Democracy Now!” and hopefully there will be mentions of it in other sources. I wanted to notify you sooner though, so you can include mention of it in your holiday celebrations. If I had realized this was the 100th anniversary, for instance, I would have made that the focus of my holiday cards. Vets For Peace could have taken leaflets to hostels in every city in America, or distributed literature at soccer matches, etc. It might not be too late. If nothing else, tell the story of the Great Christmas Truce of 1914 and offer a toast during your Christmas dinner.
Randy Rowland

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