14. EVENTS SUBSEQUENT TO THE SIGNING OF THE ARMISTICES. The Crerman Armistice Extertded.— When the armistice was signed on 11 Nov. 1918 several things that grew out of the war between the Teutonic Allies and the Entente Allies were unsettled and had to run their course. Most of them were connected in one way or an other with the sad state of affairs in Russia, while others had to do with the terms of the armistice itself, and still others grew out of the long delay in completing the treaties and get ting them accepted 'by the nations that were parties to the conflict It now remains to ex amine these later phases of the war. They should be regarded as the lingering upflaring of the fierce conflagration whose flames had run through hidden piles of national prejudice into the surrounding stubble and threatened at times to bring about renewal of the catas trophe the rest of the world had done so much to suppress. The armistice contained not only certain advanced statements of the terms of peace that were to be incorporated in the treaty and certain acts of submission that Germany was required to make, as the surrender of materials of war and railroad equipment, but it embodied, also, temporary arrangetnents for the government of occupied regions in Ger many, the distribution of food there, and adtninistrative action in carrying out the vari ous agreements of surrender and reparation. Thus the armistice *as to a large extent an ad ministrative instrument; and its importance, may'be understood by remembering that under it the international relations of the chief nations of Europe and America, with the exception of Russia, were carried on for more than a year.
To execute so large and limited an agreement was not an easy tasrfn the first place, Germany was suspected of bad faith at every point. She had only herself to blame; for she had used bad faith as a weapon of war so freely that no one trusted her when she said that she was unable to go further. Was not her republican revolution only a pre tense? Many excellent people thought that German rulers had their people so well in hand that they could have them go through the form of a revolution and then change back to the autocracy at the will of the leadei:, Against this widespread distrust the Allied leaders could not appeal to their people with out producing the impression of being too lenient with the enemy, or something still worse. It was also evident that many Ger mans felt they had not been beaten, a.nd it was not desirable from the Allies' point of view to have them continue in that opinion. The best assurance that they did not try the same thing again was to make them feel that it did not pay. How to carry the situation through successfully from this point of view was most important Still more perplexing wa.s the execution of
the terms in t.he armistice which had been adopted as a means of penalizing Germany for her daraages to Belgium and France. She had be.en required to surrender at osice 2,500 heavy and 2,500 field gtins,.25,000 machine guns, 3,000 minenwerfer, and 1,700 airplanee. This was in the nature of drawing the fangs. She also promised to evacuate France, Belgium, Luxemburg and Alsace-Lorraine at 01/00, tO withdraw from the west bank of the Rhine, to place the important military centres of Cologne, C.obleas and Mayenee in Allied hands with the region east of the river 30 kilotneters front each of these towns. The that came to be occupied by British troops, the second by Americans, and the third by French troops. She was rennired to hand over in 31 days 5,000 loamotives and 150,000 freight cars in good working order, and 5,000 motor lorries in 30 days. She was to repatriate at once and without reciprocity all priseaters of war and persons taken away from oeetipied &Arleta to work, she was to withdraw her troops from Rumania, Turkey, Austria-litingary and Rus sia and she was to renotnice the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and the supplementary treaties. She was required to surrender 10 battleships, six battle cruisers, Eve light cruisers (including two mine-layers), 50 destroyers of the most modern type, and to surrender within 14 days all her submarines that were ready for sea and the others as soon as possible. There were many other minor conditions looldng to the end of the war; but two provisions made it dear that the war was not to be considered as finished. It was declared that the existing blockade of Teutonic countries was not to be relaxed, except as the Allies might determine in order to save life from starvation, and it was agreed that the armistice was to expire in 30 days, that it might be renewed, and that either party .could denounce it for non-fulfil ment on goring 48 hours' notice. The general nature of an armistice is to suspend lioStilitieS; the relative streneth of the contestants to 'be left as it is, whHe the dinlomats meet to see if a treaty can be made. The arthistice of 11 Nov. 1918 went further than this. demanding die surrender of *sir materials tind the occupation of the west btink of the Rhine it went beyond the ordinary function of creat ing a suspension of hostilities without 'preju dice to either side. It became a sort of stir render by Germany; for she gave ,tip whtin she gave up het artillery and fleet• and ed. witted the Allies to the east bank. of 'her Rhine River. The armistice did riot proVide for German detnobilitation. That was Alai accessary; for the wedry soldiers were gob* home as fast as they could and the ite* govern ment was but too glad to retinas atmy it could neither pay nor control.