World War I

Great War" redirects here. For other uses, see Great War (disambiguation).
"World War One" redirects here. For other uses, see World War One (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)
Treaty of Versailles signed 28 June 1919
Location
Europe, Africa and the Middle East (briefly in China and the Pacific Islands)
Result
Allied victory; end of the German, Russian, Ottoman, and Austro-Hungarian Empires; foundation of new countries in Europe and the Middle East; transfer of German colonies to other powers; establishment of the League of Nations.
Belligerents
Allied (Entente) Powers
Central Powers
Commanders
Leaders and commanders
Leaders and commanders
Casualties and losses
Military dead:5,525,000Military wounded:12,831,500Military missing:4,121,000Total:22,477,500 KIA, WIA or MIA ...further details.
Military dead:4,386,000Military wounded:8,388,000Military missing:3,629,000Total:16,403,000 KIA, WIA or MIA ...further details.
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Theatres of World War I
EuropeanBalkans – Gallipoli – Western Front – Macedonian Front – Eastern Front – Italian FrontMiddle EasternCaucasus – Mesopotamia – Sinai and Palestine – Persia – Arab RevoltAfricanSouth-West Africa – West Africa – East Africa – North AfricaAsian and PacificOtherAtlantic Ocean – Mediterranean – Naval – Aerial
World War I (abbreviated as WW-I, WWI, or WW1), also known as the First World War, the Great War, the World War (prior to the outbreak of the Second World War), and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers,[1] assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies of World War I centred around the Triple Entente and the Central Powers, centred around the Triple Alliance.[2] More than 70 million military personnel were mobilized in one of the largest wars in history.[3] More than 15 million people were killed, making it one of the deadliest conflicts in history.[4] During the conflict, the industrial and scientific capabilities of the main combatants were entirely devoted to the war effort.
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, though long-term causes, such as imperialistic foreign policy, played a major role. The archduke's assassination at the hands of Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip resulted in demands against the Kingdom of Serbia.[5] Several alliances that had been formed over the past decades were invoked, so within weeks the major powers were at war; with all having colonies, the conflict soon spread around the world.
The military intervention of the United States of America is generally considered to have been decisive. By the war's end, four major imperial powers—the German, Russian, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires—had been militarily and politically defeated, with the last two ceasing to exist as autonomous entities.[6] The revolutionized Soviet Union emerged from the Russian Empire, while the map of central Europe was completely redrawn into numerous smaller states.[7] The League of Nations was formed in the hope of preventing another such conflict. The European nationalism spawned by the war, the repercussions of Germany's defeat, and the Treaty of Versailles would eventually lead to the beginning of World War II in 1939.[8]