An armistice is a
formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a
war, as it may constitute only a
cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
''arma'', meaning "arms" (as in weapons) and ''-stitium'', meaning "a stopping".
The
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
often imposes, or tries to impose, ceasefire 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
International law, also known as public international law and the law of nations, is the set of Rule of law, rules, norms, Customary law, legal customs and standards that State (polity), states and other actors feel an obligation to, and generall ...
.
An armistice is a ''
modus vivendi'' and is not the same as a
peace treaty
A peace treaty is an treaty, agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually country, countries or governments, which formally ends a declaration of war, state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an ag ...
, which may take months or even years to agree on. The 1953
Korean War Armistice Agreement is a major example of an armistice which has not been followed by a peace treaty. An armistice is also different from a
truce or
ceasefire, which refer 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.
International law
Under
international law
International law, also known as public international law and the law of nations, is the set of Rule of law, rules, norms, Customary law, legal customs and standards that State (polity), states and other actors feel an obligation to, and generall ...
, an armistice is a legal agreement (often in a document) that ends fighting between the "belligerent parties" of a war or conflict. At the
Hague Convention of 1899, three
treaties were agreed and three declarations made. The ''
Convention with respect to the Laws and Customs of War on Land'' stated, "If
he armistice'sduration is not fixed," the parties may resume fighting (Article 36) as they choose but with proper notifications. That is in comparison to a "fixed duration" armistice in which the parties may renew fighting only at the end of the particular fixed duration. When the belligerent parties say in effect that "this armistice completely ends the fighting" without any end date for the armistice, the 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 ensure a complete cessation of hostilities and of all acts of armed force in Korea until a final peaceful settlement is achieved."
Armistice Day
Armistice Day (which coincides with
Remembrance Day and
Veterans Day, public holidays) is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark the
Armistice of 11 November 1918 signed between the
Allies of World War I and the
German Empire
The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
at
Compiègne
Compiègne (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department of northern France. It is located on the river Oise (river), Oise, and its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois'' ().
Administration
Compiègne is t ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, for the cessation of hostilities on the
Western Front of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning, the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918.
Most countries changed the name of the holiday after World War II to honor veterans of that and subsequent conflicts. Most member states of the
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...
adopted the name Remembrance Day, and the United States chose Veterans Day.
See also
*
List of armistices
*
Negotiation
*
Alternative dispute resolution
References
External links
*
The Expanded Cease-Fires Data Set Code Book (Emory University)
{{Authority control
Military strategy