“World War I History: The Armistice & the Occupation of Germany" at the Rock Island and Davenport Public Libraries -- November 10.
Wednesday, November 10, 2 p.m.
Rock Island Public Library, 401 19th Street, Rock Island IL
Wednesday, November 10, 6 p.m.
Davenport Public Library, 321 Main Street, Davenport IA
Presented by Kevin Braafladt, the Army Sustainment Command Deputy Historian at the Rock Island Arsenal, as well as the the Army Sustainment Command History Office, the November 10 presentation World War I History: The Armistice & the Occupation of Germany invites Rock Island and Davenport Public Library patrons to a discussion of the Armistice and the occupation of Germany, allowing them to also delve deeper into First World War history by learning about Quad Cities and Rock Island Arsenal historical ties.
The Armistice of November 11, 1918 was the agreement signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Allies and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices had been agreed with Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Also known as the Armistice of Compiègne from the place where it was officially signed at 5:45 a.m. by Allied Supreme Commander French Marshal Ferdinand Foch, it came into force at 11 a.m. Paris time, and marked a victory for the Allies and a defeat for Germany, although not formally a surrender.
The actual terms, which were largely written by Foch, included the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front; the withdrawal of German forces from west of the Rhine; Allied occupation of the Rhineland and bridgeheads further east; the preservation of infrastructure; the surrender of aircraft, warships, and military material; the release of Allied prisoners of war and interned civilians; eventual reparations; no release of German prisoners; and no relaxation of the naval blockade of Germany. The armistice was extended three times while negotiations continued on a peace treaty, the Treaty of Versailles, which was officially signed on June 28 of 1919 and took effect on January 10 the following year.
The primary purposes of the occupation were to give France security against a renewed German attack and to serve as a guarantee for reparations obligations. After this was apparently achieved with the Young Plan, the occupation of the Rhineland was prematurely ended on June 30, 1930. The administration of occupied Rhineland was under the jurisdiction of the Inter-Allied Rhineland High Commission, with its seat at the Upper Presidium of the Rhine Province in Koblenz.
World War I History: The Armistice & the Occupation of Germany will be presented twice on November 10: at the Rock Island Public Library's downtown branch at 2 p.m., and at the Davenport Public Library's main branch at 6 p.m. Participation is free, and more information on the events is available by calling (309)732-7323 and visiting RockIslandLibrary.org, or calling (563)326-7832 and visiting DavenportLibrary.com.
