6.1 A just and lasting peace?
The First World War ended on 11 November 1918. Seven months later, a final agreement was reached between Germany and the Allies about what would happen as a consequence of the war. This 'treaty' was called the Treaty of Versailles. The films on this page show the events surrounding the signing of the treaty, and the reaction of the nations to the end of the war.
TIME TO REMEMBER - THE PEACE MAKERS
8 MINS 1 SEC, SOUND, B/W, 1959-1960
Sir Ralph Richardson narrates this segment of Time To Remember, a television documentary series produced in the late 1950s and 1960s. It documents the negotiations leading to the Treaty of Versailles, demobilisation, and post-war politics.
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TREATY OF VERSAILLES - PART ONE
20 MINS 21 SECS, SILENT, B/W, 1919
Various newsreels about the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in France during 1919 strung together into a single film.
Continued in Part Two.
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TREATY OF VERSAILLES - PART TWO
20 MINS 0 SECS, SILENT, B/W, 1919
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A second set of newsreels about the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in France during 1919 strung together into a single film.
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PEACE DAY
1 MIN 56 SECS, SILENT, B/W, 1919
Crowds throng Trafalgar Square in London at three o'clock in the afternoon and gather outside Buckingham Palace to celebrate as British Prime Minister David Lloyd George announces the signing of the Armistice by King George V. Winston Churchill can be glimpsed walking beside Lloyd George.
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THE WORLD WAR OVER
1 MIN 14 SECS, SILENT, B/W, 1918
People in Paris, France, celebrate the end of the First World War. There is celebrating, laughing, and waving. Some carry American flags. One soldier kisses a Red Cross nurse.
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AMERICAN PEACE PARADE
1 MIN 1 SEC, SILENT, B/W, 1917-1918
This film shows American troops going off to war in 1917 (a title card reads: The army draft of 1917 - a lottery which determined the destinies of four million boys) before cutting to a parade celebrating the German surrender.