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Treaty of Versailles and the End of World War I
A clip of video footage of Armistice Day, November 11, 1918.

A clip of video footage of Armistice Day, November 11, 1918.

In this silent video, German and American soldiers shake hands and celebrate the end of World War I after the armistice, or agreement by both sides to stop fighting. The conflict had claimed the lives of millions of soldiers and civilians and left Europe utterly devastated. Although fighting would continue and more lives would be lost, this armistice, known as the Armistice of Compiègne because of the location in which it was signed, was the beginning of the end of the catastrophic world war. The armistice went into effect at eleven in the morning Paris time on November 11, 1918 ("the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month") and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although they did not formally surrender. The Treaty of Versailles had yet to be written at this point.

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Citation Information
Department of Defense, Department of the Army, Office of the Chief Signal Officer, “The Armistice, November 11, 1918,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/aed31b2120e766f9a5d3a20b1ca85af0.
Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.
Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration.
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Tips for Students

For this source, consider:

  • the author's point of view
  • the author's purpose
  • historical context
  • audience

Item 3 of 15 in the Primary Source Set Treaty of Versailles and the End of World War I

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A painting of German chancellor Otto Von Bismarck meeting French diplomats at Versailles after the Franco-Prussian War, ca. 1871.
An excerpt from a pamphlet featuring President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points, 1919.
A clip of video footage of Armistice Day, November 11, 1918.
An excerpt from a speech by Senator Henry Cabot Lodge to the US Senate urging caution about the League of Nations, August 12, 1919.
An excerpt from a speech by President Woodrow Wilson in support of the League of Nations, September 5, 1919.
An advertisement for a mass meeting about the League of Nations titled “Give Her the Key and Lock Him Up,” 1919.
A 1919 map of new national boundaries in Europe as proposed by the Treaty of Versailles.
A clip of newsreel footage of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles and soldiers returning home from the Great War, 1919.
A photograph of German delegates listening to the terms of the treaty at the Trianon Palace Hotel, 1919.
A photograph of German diplomats Hermann Mueller and Johannes Bell leaving Versailles after signing the Treaty of Versailles, 1919.
A political cartoon about German attitudes towards the treaty titled “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” 1919.
An excerpt from a pamphlet titled “What Everyone Should Know about the Treaty of Peace,” issued by Berlin’s National Citizens Council, 1921.
A postcard titled “A German Matter of Existence,” 1934.
A political campaign leaflet in support of the Social Democratic Party describing German inflation after the Treaty of Versailles, 1932.
A postcard titled “Never Forget the Shameful Peace at Versailles!,” 1930s.

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To give feedback, contact us at education@dp.la. You can also suggest a primary source set topic or view resources for National History Day.

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