This Day In History

May 8th 1945: VE Day

On this day in 1945 at the end of the Second World War, combat ended in Europe with the Germans accepting unconditional surrender in Rheims, France. The German surrender marked the end of Hitler’s Third Reich, after the dictator’s suicide on 30th April. Germany’s surrender was led by German President Karl Dönitz, signed on 7th May and ratified on 8th May. The Western world celebrated, with huge festivities in Trafalgar Square and outside Buckingham Palace in London and in New York’s Time Square. British King George VI and Prime Minister Winston Churchill led the celebrations in their country, and US President Harry Truman dedicated the victory to his recently deceased predecessor remarking his only wish was that “Franklin D. Roosevelt had lived to witness this day”.

“This is your hour. This is your Victory”
- Winston Churchill to crowds on VE Day

April 6th 1896: The first modern Olympic Games opens in Athens

On this day in 1896 1,500 years after the original games were banned by Roman Emperor Theodosius I, the first modern Olympics celebrated its opening ceremony in Athens, the birthplace of the Games. The Games lasted until 15th April and had the largest international participation of any sporting event to that date. After the Greek games many wanted the event to stay in Athens but the 1900 Games were scheduled for Paris and the Olympics continued to go to different cities around the world, not returning to its home until 2004. The Opening Ceremony on April 6th was held at the Panathinaiko Stadium, with thousands of spectators including foreign dignitaries. Crown Prince Constantine officially opened the Games:

“I declare the opening of the first international Olympic Games in Athens. Long live the Nation. Long live the Greek people.”

March 3rd 1918: Treaty of Brest-Litovsk signed

On this day in 1918 the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which ended Russia’s involvement in World War One, was signed by Russia and the Central Powers. Ending the war was one of the main aims of the new Soviet government after its successful seizure of power in the October Revolution. Leon Trotsky, as Commissar of Foreign Affairs, was vital to the negotiations of the peace. There were splits over the treaty within the ruling Bolshevik party between its leader Vladimir Lenin (who was in favour) and other senior figures (who wanted to continue the war to wait for revolutions in countries including Germany and Turkey). The first proposed treaty conceded huge portions of the former Russian Empire to Germany and the Ottoman Empire, which angered conservatives and nationalists and Trotsky refused to sign it. However the pressure to end the war heightened, the Bolsheviks signed the treaty and ceded much territory to Germany. Thus the treaty led to the independence of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine and Lithuania. The treaty angered many conservatives in Russia, and contributed to the Russian Civil War (1917 - 1923) between the Bolshevik Red Army and the anti-Bolshevik White Army.

February 2nd 1943: Battle of Stalingrad ends

On this day in 1943, German troops surrendered to the Soviet Red Army in Stalingrad, thus ending the 5 months of fighting. The Battle of Stalingrad is among the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare, with nearly 2 million casualties. The Germans had attempted to invade Russia and capture Stalingrad, but the Russians fought back and cut off and surrounded the German army. The Russian winter soon set in, with sub-zero temperatures weakening the German forces. Eventually, the remaining army surrendered, and 91,000 were taken prisoner (including 22 generals). The German failure at Stalingrad was a key turning point in the Second World War, as the army never recovered from their defeat.

On this day in 1945, the Soviet Red Army liberated the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Auschwitz was a network of concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany, and was used as the place of the “final solution of the Jewish question in Europe”. Jews and other groups were sent to the camps from 1942 onwards, where many were sent to their death in the gas chambers. Most of those who escaped the gas chambers died of starvation, disease, and execution by the Nazi guards. It is estimated that around 1.3 million people died there.

The Nazis had begun the evacuation of the camp on January 17th as the Red Army drew near. Around 7,500 remained in the camp and were liberated by the 322nd Rifle Division of the Red Army on January 27th.

Today, the site of the Auschwitz camp serves as a museum to remember the victims, and attracts thousands every year who come to pay their respects. This day is commemorated around the world as Holocaust Remembrance Day in order to remember the millions who lost their lives to the brutality of the Nazi regime under Adolf Hitler.

On this day in 1920, the Treaty of Versailles officially came into effect, thus ending the First World War. The treaty officially ended the war between Germany and the Allied Powers which included Great Britain, France and Russia. It was signed on June 28th 1919, which was five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand which sparked the war. Whilst fighting ended with the armistice signed on November 11th 1918, the negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference were not completed until 1919.

The Treaty set up a ‘League of Nations’ which was to be a group of countries dedicated to the preservation of global peace. The Treaty’s provisions included that Germany must accept responsibility for the war, get rid of its arms, lose its colonies, make territoral concessions and pay reparations (132 billion Marks, equivalent to US $442 billion and UK £217 billion today). These reparations were not paid off until October 4th 2010.

The effect of the treaty on Germany fostered animosity in Germany, and Adolf Hitler rose to power on his promise to make their country strong again. Therefore the Treaty of Versailles, whilst ending World War One, led to World War Two.