World War I

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This article is about the major war of 1914–18. For other uses, see World War One (disambiguation).

"Great War" redirects here. For other uses, see Great War (disambiguation).

World War I Clockwise from top: Trenches on the Western Front; a British Mark IV Tank crossing a trench; Royal Navy battleship HMS Irresistible sinking after striking a mine at the Battle of the Dardanelles; a Vickers machine gun crew with gas masks, and German Albatros D.III biplanes Date 28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918 (Armistice) Treaty of Versailles signed 28 June 1919 Location Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Pacific Islands (briefly in China) Result Allied victory End of the German, Russian, Ottoman, and Austro-Hungarian empires Formation of new countries in Europe and the Middle East Transfer of German colonies and regions of the former Ottoman Empire to other powers Establishment of the League of Nations. (more...) Belligerents Allied (Entente) Powers France British Empire  Russian Empire (1914–17)  Italy (1915–18)  United States (1917–18)  Japan Romania (1916–18)  Serbia  Belgium Greece (1917–18) Portugal (1916–18) Montenegro (1914–16) and others Central Powers  German Empire  Austria-Hungary  Ottoman Empire Bulgaria (1915–18) Commanders Leaders and commanders Aristide Briand Georges Clemenceau Ferdinand Foch H.H. Asquith David Lloyd George Nicholas II Alexander Kerensky Antonio Salandra Vittorio Orlando Woodrow Wilson Peter I Ferdinand I and others Leaders and commanders Wilhelm II Paul von Hindenburg Erich Ludendorff Franz Joseph I Karl I İsmail Enver Ferdinand I and others Strength Allies 15,000,000 8,317,000 5,200,000 5,000,000+ 4,000,000 660,000 420,000 267,000 250,000 40,000+ 33,000 Total: 39,087,000+ (estimated)[citation needed] Central Powers 13,000,000 7,800,000 2,000,000+ 1,200,000 Total: 24,000,000+ (estimated)[citation needed] Casualties and losses Military dead: 5,525,000 Military wounded: 12,831,500 Military missing: 4,121,000 Total: 22,477,500 KIA, WIA or MIA ...further details. Military dead: 4,386,000 Military wounded: 8,388,000 Military missing: 3,629,000 Total: 16,403,000 KIA, WIA or MIA ...further details.

v • d • e Theatres of World War I European:Balkans – Western Front – Eastern Front – Italian Front Middle Eastern: Caucasus – Persia – Gallipoli – Mesopotamia – Sinai and Palestine African:South-West Africa – West Africa – East Africa – North Africa Asian and Pacific theatre Other theatres: North America – Atlantic Ocean – Mediterranean

World War I was a military conflict centered on Europe that began in the summer of 1914. The fighting ended in late 1918. This conflict involved most of the world's great powers,^[1] assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies (centred around the Triple Entente) and the Central Powers.^[2] More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilized in one of the largest wars in history.^[3][4] More than 15 million people were killed, making it also one of the deadliest conflicts in history.^[5] The war is also known as the First World War, the Great War, the World War (prior to the outbreak of World War II), and the War to End All Wars.
The assassination on 28 June 1914 of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, is seen as the immediate trigger of the war. Long-term causes, such as imperialistic foreign policies of the great powers of Europe, such as the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Russian Empire, the British Empire, France, and Italy, played a major role. Ferdinand's assassination by a Yugoslav nationalist resulted in a Habsburg ultimatum against the Kingdom of Serbia.^[6][7] Several alliances formed over the past decades were invoked, so within weeks the major powers were at war; as all had colonies, the conflict soon spread around the world.
The conflict opened with the German invasion of Belgium, Luxembourg and France; the Austro-Hungarian invasion of Serbia and a Russian attack against Germany. After the German march on Paris was brought to a halt, the Western Front settled into a static battle of attrition with a trench line that changed little until 1917. In the East, the Russian army successfully fought against the Austro-Hungarian forces but was forced back by the German army. Additional fronts opened after the Ottoman Empire joined the war in 1914, Italy and Bulgaria in 1915 and Romania in 1916. The Russian Empire collapsed in 1917, and Russia left the war after the October Revolution later that year. After a 1918 German offensive along the western front, United States forces entered the trenches and the allies drove back the German armies in a series of successful offensives. Germany agreed to a cease fire on Armistice Day, November 11, 1918.
By the war's end, four major imperial powers—the German, Russian, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires—had been militarily and politically defeated. The last two ceased to exist.^[8] The revolutionized Soviet Union emerged from the Russian Empire, while the map of central Europe was completely redrawn into numerous smaller states.^[9] The League of Nations was formed in the hope of preventing another such conflict. The European nationalism spawned by the war and the break-up of empires, and the repercussions of Germany's defeat and the Treaty of Versailles led to the beginning of World War II in 1939.^[10]