by Mark Askeda

Created on: November 22, 2011   Last Updated: November 29, 2011

World War 1, or the Great War as it was called at the time, was the largest and bloodiest war in history. It was to be surpassed only by World War 2, which began 21 years after the end of World War 1.  Prior to the war, the major European powers created alliances with each other.  Every major European power joined an alliance.  The alliance system guaranteed that a regional war between two powers would escalate into a major conflict that would embroil all the major powers.  There were two major alliances preceding the war:

1.  The Central Powers.  Sometimes called the Triple Alliance, this group was led by Germany.

Germany.  At the time, Germany was perhaps the most powerful nation on the earth.  It had a large, well trained army as well as a navy that could challenge the mighty British fleet. 

Austro-Hungarian Empire.  This was a large nation comprised of many of current nations in central Europe.  World War 1 began with a relatively minor conflict between the Serbs and the Austro-Hungarians.

Italy.  The Italian nation came into being only one generation before World War 1.  While Italy was allied with Germany and Austria-Hungary, it did not enter the war on their behalf.  Instead, Italy withdrew from the alliance and joined the opposition one year after the war began.

The Ottoman Empire.     When the war began, the Ottoman Empire was on the verge of collapse.  While the Ottomans fought, they were unable to defend their far flung Middle Eastern empire during the war.

2.  The Entente Powers, or Allies was the other bloc of nations that rivaled the Central Powers. 

Great Britain.  Great Britain (and its commonwealth) was the largest naval power in the world.  Its fleet was larger and more powerful than any other nations.  It was responsible for a blockade of Germany and countering any movement of the German navy.  Additionally, Great Britain provided a large army to fight alongside the French Army on the continent. France. 

France had a large army that rivaled that of Germany.  However, after initial defeats at the hands of the German army, the French army fell back and fought mainly on French soil for the duration of the war. 

Russia.  Russia had a large, but poorly trained and unmotivated army.  The German army advanced deep into Russia and 2 years into the war, the Russian government was overthrown and exited the war.

Japan.  While not formally a member of the Alliance, Japan joined the Allies during the war.  Japan did not provide significant military forces to Europe.  Rather, Japan would attack German holdings in the Pacific and China.

United States.  Also not a formal member of the Alliance, the US joined the war effort on the side of the Allies.  After two long years, both sides were militarily exhausted.  The entry of fresh soldiers and a major ally from America provided a huge new source of military power.  Once large numbers of American soldiers joined the fight, the German front lines crumbled.

World War 1 was the largest war to date.  It was fought all around the world and its consequences are still felt today.  The Russian government fell and the birth of Communism resulted.  Central Europe, once dominate by Austria, is now a group of fractured and disparate nations.  The Ottoman Empire ceased to exist resulting in the ultimate rise of the Arab nations.  But perhaps most importantly, the defeat of Germany led to the rise of Nazi Germany and ultimately to World War 2.

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