Christmas in the Trenches

[JoeJasperLoca]

"Nothing will end war unless the people themselves refuse to go to war".

-- Albert Einstein

[Cook75969]

Thank you, Mrs. Smith 1964 for making and posting this slide show. We used it today to introduce WWI at the Christmas season. It made 100-year old history real for 6 classes of 11th graders. Well-done and appreciated.

[Somme1916Somme]

THANKYOU FOR THIS...

[cheesyman333]

MOST...DEPRESSING...SONG...EVE­R!!!!!!!

[Geldris]

So that ending line "the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lain." Really? Nicholas II didn't die after WWI? Hitler, Goebbels, Goering, Himmler, Mussolini and Tojo didn't die after WWII? That's just a starter, too, the list goes on. Hussein in Iraq, Robspierre and Louis XVI in the French Revolution, strikes me that in most wars the ones calling the shots have pretty solid odds of dying in the conflict.

[mepdaow0]

sweet

kool

[Madteacher216]

This is proof that it's not soldiers who start wars, but leaders of countries. It's a shame that mankind couldn't learn from these brave soldiers who proved that war is so senseless and that for a short time a shake of the hand was more powerful than any weapon. I'd like to wish anybody who has relatives, friends or loved ones in any war zone a Merry Christmas and heads up. For those out in the war zones of this world HEADS down and come back safe. A speacial message to my Bruv, keep safe.

[rjagodowski]

War is not the answer so i ain't gonna fight no more!

[JeanDupays1]

who is singing this version?

[tennis11ish]

@JeanDupays1 - John McCutcheon. I think he may have written it too.

[sk8face12]

Y Cant The World get Together In Peace Like This Song

[honorablegod]

Great song my Great grand father was there. the movie is awsome to.

[RSNCICREO]

poor workers got sent to there death for what just to settle a famly dispute among the Royals of Europe sad

[Geldris]

@RSNCICREO Assassinating the heir to a major Empire is a "family dispute?" Maybe you should learn some History before you make such absurd statements.

[RSNCICREO]

@Geldris

i study history at uni right  and the war was brewing up and the Assassination just lit the powder Keg

[Geldris]

@RSNCICREO

Yeah, and it was brewing up because of trade conflicts and military rivalry. What "family dispute" were you referring to?

[RSNCICREO]

@Geldris

all the Major Royal houses in Europe were intermarried you see so thats "family dispute"

[Geldris]

@RSNCICREO

That is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. For starters, no, not all the royal houses were intermarried. Nicholas and George were both Cousins with Wilhelm, but other than that, they weren't intermarried. The Ottoman Emperor certainly wasn't, the King of Austria-Hungary wasn't related to the others, and France was a Republic (and for that matter King George was a figurehead, he had no real power so his relation to Wilhelm is completely irrelevant).

[Geldris]

@RSNCICREO

Furthermore, your entire statement is based on the faulty assumption that correlation proves cause. Just because a few of the Royal houses were related does not PROVE that that is why World War I happened. World War I (as a major conflict) distinctly started between Austria-Hungary and Russia, two Countries that distinctly lack the "intermarriage" you refer to, so as I stated earlier, "you should learn some History before you make such absurd statements."

[RSNCICREO]

@Geldris i said the Major Powers of the War were all inter married like Russia UK German

by the time of the War Austria Turkey were Only 2nd Rate powers the Blaken wars lost the Hapsburgs a lot of land While Russia UK and Germany were all gaining land Austria had  been in decline since 1848

[Geldris]

@RSNCICREO

Even if Austria and Turkey are "second rate powers" in your opinion, that still leaves my point of France being a Republic valid. Also, I'm fairly confident that Nicholas II and King George weren't cousins, they just were both cousins with Wilhelm II, which makes them....absolutely nothing to each other (and George didn't even have any real power, he was just a figure head. So this "all intermarried" theory you cling to is pretty weak.

[Geldris]

@RSNCICREO

You also seemed to completely ignore my other point that you're assuming correlation proves cause. Just because a few of the leaders were related to each other doesn't even remotely prove that it was a war due to a "family dispute." You're still yet to cite any specific dispute, and even more importantly, the whole entire war started because Austria invaded Serbia, and a series of Alliances made that a problem. Not alliances built on "family ties," unless you can prove otherwise.

[CrescentGuard]

WWI was pretty sad. People that would've gotten along famously had to fight each other in such terrible war. The worst part is that it was all over the death of one pompous royal politician. The death of one man resulted in the deaths millions. This is one of those stories that all should learn, that the most terrible of conflicts can be put aside for celebration.

[121314oreo]

very sad but great song

[videoplayar]

seriously, how fucked up is this?!? That men would kill neighbors and friends because they were ordered to.

[redbaron863]

So sad. The WW I was a real big mistake. The world would be another than today. We had all our colonies and no islamic danger...

[sparxx49]

no islamic danger, but plenty of danger from random capitalists looking to expand their empires.

[SirAroace]

@redbaron863

um...Ottoman Empire! And "islamic danger", come on not all Muslims are extremist.

[Spartacus21C]

@SirAroace I have to assume he was being satyrical. He couldn't possibly watch this video and decry the bloodshed of WWI, but remain a colonialist and an Islamophobe.

[lundberg]

@redbaron863

Sad? No. Quite the opposite. The very best of humanity is shown in the tiny chasm between hate, death and war. Our best side shown if ever so briefly. It's a reminder that we can, no, must do better. I listen to this song every Christmas eve. It is the epitome of faith and hope. Merry Christmas...

[kn1ghtstemplar]

we will never know the truth. why did we fight the German cousins? The Nazi`s were not real German folk in WWII and even then we could have remained neutral and stayed out of the fight.

[TheAidan134]

@kn1ghtstemplar Until the Japs bombed pearl harbour

[sameoldfitup2008]

no more brothers wars

[devilwithbreasts]

this is a lovely video! im going to show it to my first year form when its quizz day! thank you! xxxxxxxx

[orbis2009]

Wonderful!

[vickieburns3]

you did a wonderful job on the video for this song. 5 *'s!

[Jackalman99]

this is such a cool. Brian Lee doesn't show you these cool pix on Scratchy Grooves either.

[sylvermell]

the message of this song is so true.

[playerpage]

There is a full-length movie about this, historically researched including what the soldiers in the trenches did after that one Christmas, called "Joyeux Noel." from 2005.

[DavidTL]

What heroes these people were. To lay down their weapons, shake hands, come together and play a nice game of football. Those soldiers, just for that day saw the opposing forces not as enemies, but as brothers.

It's a shame the next day they resumed blowing each other's heads off.

You would think the governments of today would learn from all these wars, but they don't.

[isafos]

Would that it were.

That isn't the way human nature works, and nothing can change it.

[MajorKoenig4718]

1000000% Agree and well said

[spursphil]

Fantastic, well done. God bless our boys this christmas day!