What Does truce Mean
Truce is a concept that refers to the cessation of hostilities for a specified time between two or more adversaries. The truce does not mean the end of the war or conflict , but a momentary suspension .
The duration of the truce is variable: it can range from a few days to several years. The interruption of a war can occur in various ways, without always speaking of a truce. When the suspension of the fighting is limited to a certain place, it is called an armistice , while, when the pause occurs for the fulfillment of certain indispensable measures, it is called the suspension of arms .
The notion of truce can be used in other contexts, although it is always linked to a conflict or confrontation. The term is usually used in everyday speech with a considerably less weight than it has in a warlike environment, generally between two or more people who have an affective bond who wish to end an argument .
The expression "no truce" is related to the fact of persecuting a person or target continuously and without rest : "I will not give a truce to criminals" , "The minister assured that he will not give a truce in the fight against inflation ” .
Uruguayan writer Mario Benedetti is the author of “La trugua” , a novel published in 1960 and considered one of the best works of Latin American literature. The book presents the story of Martín Santomé , a 49-year-old widowed man who begins a romantic relationship with a woman considerably younger than him.
Benedetti's novel had several film versions that also bore the title “La trugua” ; Mention may be made of an Argentine film from 1970 and a Mexican film released in 2003 .
Christmas truce
Shortly after the outbreak of World War I , a relatively short "ceasefire" took place between the troops of Great Britain and the German Empire, just around Christmas 1914. This truce began on December 24 and was a true symbol of how absurd war is: German soldiers decorated their trenches and began to sing Christmas carols, mainly ' Silent Night ', to which the British responded with their own songs.
After this celebration, both sides exchanged Christmas greetings and, later, gifts such as bottles of alcoholic beverages and tobacco. The truce lasted all night, and this resulted in the recovery of the soldiers who had recently fallen to give them their well-deserved burial, in peace . During the ceremonies there were no barriers: everyone mourned the losses together and paid their respects to each other, even sharing the reading of a passage from the Bible.
The Christmas Truce transcended the limits of the military context , since both nations ceased their confrontations in many areas, with sports being one of the most prominent. The war continued after Christmas Eve, but in other sectors the truce extended until the beginning of the following year.
It is worth mentioning that the decision to put an end to the attacks during Christmas did not have the support of the entirety of both armies ; in fact, shortly before Pope Benedict XV had expressed his desire for a truce and it had been denied.
From the following year until the end of the war, various measures were taken to ensure that a truce did not occur again: attacks were intensified around the holidays and soldiers were prevented from familiarizing themselves with their "Enemies", through frequent rotations. Despite these attempts, Christmas 1914 was not the last time that the troops showed their sensitivity and their desire to live.