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WW1 Armistice and Aftermath of the Great War

Railroad Car in Which Was Signed the Armistice, Nov. 11, 1918.

Railroad Car in Which Was Signed the Armistice, Nov. 11, 1918. Railroad Carriage of French Marshal Ferdinand Foch, in Which the Armistice Ending World War I Was Signed. Probably Depicts Its Location Between 1921 and 1927 When It Was on Display in the Cour Des Invalides in Paris. American Colony Photo Department Photographer. Library of Congress LC 2019704473. GGA Image ID # 1857e48dcc

The United States sent more than a million troops to Europe, where they encountered a war unlike any other—one waged at sea, in trenches, and the air. The rise of such military technologies marked the action as the tank, the field telephone, and poison gas. At the same time, the war shaped the U.S.'s culture after an Armistice agreement ended the fighting on November 11, 1918. The postwar years saw a wave of civil rights activism for equal rights for African Americans, the passage of an amendment securing women's right to vote, and a larger role in world affairs for the United States.

 

Woodrow Wilson, a Progressive Movement leader, Was the 28th President of the United States (1913-1921).

Announcing the Armistice in America - 1918

President Wilson, in spite of his broken sleep, was up early in the morning of November 11, 1918, and by his direction arrangements had soon been made for the joint session of the Senate and the House.

"Armistice Day" Traffic The Freak Demands that Marked Service on 11 November 1918

"Armistice Day" Traffic The Freak Demands that Marked Service on 11 November 1918

Before the Internet, Before Television, there was the telephone. Learn how the World War I Armistice Day Crashed the Bell Telephone System across the United States on 11 November 1918.

France, Thankful to the American Allies. A ses Alliés Amèricains La France Reconnaissante.

Casualties of the Great War - 1919

The astounding number of casualties, herein listed by country, places a tremendous cost of human life during the Great War. France bore the brunt of the destruction of lives, infrastructure, and the many sacrifices endured.

United States President Woodrow Wilson Announces the End of World War I and Reads the German Armistice's Terms to Congress in Joint Session and, in Washington, DC, on 11 November 1918.

President Wilson’s Address Announcing An Armistice - 1918

President Wilson, after reading in person the full terms of the armistice to the joint session of Congress, delivered the following address: The war thus comes to an end; for, having accepted these terms of armistice, it will be impossible for the German command to renew it...

Front Page, The Evening World Newspaper, Final Edition, New York, Monday, 11 November 1918.

The Armistice, November 11, 1918

On November 11, Germany accepted the armistice. On the last morning of hostilities, the British entered Mons, where more than four years earlier they had fired their first shots. The French and Americans advanced to Sedan.

American Soldiers Marching in Paris on July 14, Bastille Day

The Armistice - A Story for Homeward Bound Americans - 1919

On November 11, 1918, an armistice was signed, the enemy had capitulated: the war was won. When the Americans had fought the Hun with a will to beat him or die, the days were followed by months of waiting.

 

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The Folks Behind the GG Archives

The GG Archives is the work and passion of two people, Paul Gjenvick, a professional archivist, and Evelyne Gjenvick, a curator. Paul earned a Masters of Archival Studies - a terminal degree from Clayton State University in Georgia, where he studied under renowned archivist Richard Pearce-Moses. Our research into the RMS Laconia and SS Bergensfjord, the ships that brought two members of the Gjønvik family from Norway to the United States in the early 20th century, has helped us design our site for other genealogists. The extent of original materials at the GG Archives can be very beneficial when researching your family's migration from Europe.