Chinanews.com, November 11 (Zhang Aolin) The positions of dead bodies, traps full of mines, and a race against death in the rain of bullets... In the movie "1917", these thrilling scenes are just over a hundred years Later, people will stare at a microcosm of the First World War from an artistic perspective.
November 11, 2020 is the 102nd anniversary of the end of this cruel war.
In the current complex and complicated international situation, can people find the answers to today's problems from the painful lessons of history?
Data map: On June 28, 1914, the Austro-Hungarian Crown Prince Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo. This incident became the fuse of the First World War.
The picture shows the photo before the assassination of the couple.
[Unprecedented disaster in human history]
——1 bullet, 16 million lives
On June 28, 1914, Prince Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and his wife were shot and killed by a Serbian youth in Sarajevo.
At that time, no one thought that a bullet fired by this young man would trigger the First World War due to a series of chain reactions.
Since most of the countries that participated in the war had completed the second industrial revolution, heavy machine guns and gas bombs and other "killing weapons" have also come out, just in the battle of Verdun, known as the "Verdun meat grinder". More than 300,000 people died in 10 months between Germany and France.
During the entire 4-year war, 16 million people died in various countries, including 7 million civilians.
Data map: old photos of World War I.
——"The King of Land War" on the stage of history
After the start of the war, due to the stalemate of the "trench war" on the Western Front, the British took the lead in putting the "Mark 1" tank on the battlefield in order to win the opportunity.
This was also the first appearance of the "King of Land Warfare" on the historical stage at that time.
Although tanks did not play a significant role during the entire World War I, with their emergence and development, the mode of human warfare was gradually changed.
On November 15, 2017, a bronze memorial statue of Chinese workers in World War I was officially completed in Poplinge, a city bordering France in western Belgium.
Photo by China News Agency reporter De Yongjian
——Make a huge contribution, and tens of thousands of Chinese workers return to their hometowns
During the First World War, there was a group that was "ignored" for a long time, and that was the Chinese workers.
At the end of World War I, in order to alleviate the lack of logistics, Britain and France signed a recruitment contract with the Beiyang government of China at the time. More than 140,000 Chinese workers went to Europe and made great contributions to supporting the Allied countries. They were praised as "world-class workers". .
After the war, about 20,000 of them were buried in their hometowns, and some of them did not even leave a name, only a job number.
[For a hundred years, the world has never forgotten]
Now, 102 years have passed since the end of World War I, but the commemoration of it has never stopped.
-Remember the lessons of history
Many countries that participated in World War I commemorated this catastrophe with the purpose of not forgetting the lessons of history and promoting the peaceful development of mankind.
In an interview with a reporter from Chinanews.com, Zhou Yongsheng, a professor at the Institute of International Relations of China Foreign Affairs University, pointed out.
Since 1919, the United Kingdom has held commemorative activities on November 11 every year, and schools and churches across the country will observe two minutes of silence.
Many people hold paper red poppies to mourn the dead and pray for peace.
This day is also called "Poppy Day".
On November 4, 2020, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom participated in an event to commemorate the fallen soldiers.
On the eve of the 2020 Remembrance Day, Queen Elizabeth II of England appeared at Westminster Abbey to attend related activities to commemorate the fallen soldiers and laid flowers on the tombstone of the Unknown Soldier.
This is the first time that the 94-year-old has attended a public event since the United Kingdom was blocked by the new crown epidemic.
Its significance is self-evident.
—— "You die and you live" a hundred years ago, and now I remember it together
Not only in the United Kingdom, but also in the United States, France, New Zealand, Australia and other countries, this day will also be commemorated to remember the painful lessons of the war and avoid the recurrence of historical tragedies.
On November 11, 2018, the official ceremony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I was held at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
The picture shows French President Macron, German Chancellor Merkel, Canadian Chancellor Trudeau and other dignitaries walking towards the Arc de Triomphe in the rain.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Li Yang
It is worth mentioning that on November 11, 2018, on the centennial anniversary of the end of World War I, French President Macron, Russian President Putin, US President Trump, German Chancellor Merkel and other dozens of politicians gathered together. Arc de Triomphe in France.
Although the storms in Paris at the time, it failed to hinder the pace of nations in keeping peace.
Many politicians have moved forward hand in hand in the wind and rain, expressing their nostalgia.
Just the day before that commemoration ceremony, Macron and Merkel also visited Compiègne Forest, the armistice site of World War I in northeastern France.
The Armistice Memorial Museum of World War I specially prepared a memorial for French and German leaders to commemorate the centennial of the armistice. After the monument was unveiled, Macron and Merkel shook hands and embraced.
Merkel's visit signifies that France and Germany can achieve "reconciliation in the true sense", Le De, curator of the Armistice Memorial Museum of the First World War, said with emotion.
One hundred years ago, the opponents of the "life and death", at that moment, hand in hand towards peace.
On October 20, 2020, the Azerbaijani Ministry of National Defense released a picture that day, showing that Azerbaijani artillery units fired violently on targets in the Naka region. The Azerbaijani side stated that parts of its territory were also shelled by Armenia that day.
[Regional conflicts are still frequent, what lessons does history have on reality? 】
Looking back at the human catastrophe today, 102 years later, there is no lack of reference for reality.
“There are still many regional conflicts in 2020, including the Syrian conflict, the Libyan conflict, and the Naka conflict.” Regarding the reasons for the formation of these conflicts, Zhou Yongsheng concluded, “The struggle for political and economic interests, religious conflicts, ethnic conflicts, and geopolitical contests , Making the problem very complicated. If it continues to deteriorate, it may cause more countries to be involved and more people’s lives and property threatened."
On October 24, 2020, a newlywed couple held their wedding in a church that was destroyed by a bombing in the Naka region.
The picture shows the newcomer flying the peace dove.
Regarding the enlightenment brought to mankind by the First World War, Zhou Yongsheng believes that “mankind must build peace and not go to war.” He said that when conflicts arise, countries should resolve them through diplomatic consultations instead of resorting to disputes. force.
Once a war starts, it is often not controllable by a country or interest group.
"The international community, especially the major powers, should not be easily involved in regional conflicts, but they should not stand idly by. Peaceful means such as active mediation should be used to effectively manage the issues of all parties."
As for some disagreements that are temporarily difficult to reconcile, Zhou Yongsheng pointed out, “It is a good way for the parties to the conflict to temporarily shelve the dispute and conduct a'cold treatment', because as time goes by, new peaceful solutions may appear.” (Finish)