The
Central Powers (
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
: "Mittelmächte";
HungarianHungarian is a Uralic language unrelated to most other languages in Europe. It is mainly spoken in Hungary and by the Hungarian minorities in the seven neighbouring countries...
: "Központi hatalmak";
TurkishTurkish is spoken as a first language by over 63 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Cyprus, with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania and other...
: "İttifak Devletleri";
BulgarianBulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian demonstrates several linguistic innovations that set it apart from all other Slavic languages except the Macedonian language, such as the elimination of case declension, the development of a suffixed definite...
: "Централни сили") was one of the two sides that participated in
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
, the other being the
Entente (Allied) PowersThe Entente powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The key members of the Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire. New Zealand, Belgium, Serbia, Canada, Australia, Italy, Romania and the United States were also drawn into the war...
.
Member states
The Central Powers consisted of the
German EmpireThe German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871 to 1918, when it became a German republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of Wilhelm II .The term Second Reich...
, the
Austrian-Hungarian EmpireAustria–Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the k.u.k. Monarchy, or Dual State, was a monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in Central Europe...
, the
Ottoman EmpireThe Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِیَّهِ عُثْمَانِیَّه Dawlet-il ʿAliyyat-il ʿOs̠māniyye, Modern Turkish:...
and the
Kingdom of BulgariaThe Kingdom of Bulgaria was established on October 5, 1908 when the Principality of Bulgaria officially proclaimed itself independent from the Ottoman Empire and was elevated to the style of kingdom. This move also formalised the annexation of the Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia, which had...
. The name "Central Powers" is derived from the location of these countries.
All four were located between the
Russian EmpireThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia, and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
in the east and the
French Third RepublicThe French Third Republic was the republican government of France between the end of the Second French Empire in 1870 and the Vichy Regime after the invasion of France by the German...
and the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name and the state form of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927...
in the west. The alliances made between these four nations were a result of Germany's inability to gain power on the "world stage". The Germans then decided to focus on creating an alliance of Mitteleuropa, which means Central Europe. The Balkans were originally desired as members of this alliance, but as the Balkans formed separate, autonomous states this was deemed impossible.
The Central Powers were composed of these nations:
Austro-Hungarian EmpireAustria–Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the k.u.k. Monarchy, or Dual State, was a monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in Central Europe...
(including
German colonial forcesThe German colonial empire was an overseas domain formed in the late 19th century as part by the German Empire. Short-lived colonial efforts by individual German states had occurred in preceding centuries, but Imperial Germany's colonial efforts began in 1884...
)
Kingdom of BulgariaThe Kingdom of Bulgaria was established on October 5, 1908 when the Principality of Bulgaria officially proclaimed itself independent from the Ottoman Empire and was elevated to the style of kingdom. This move also formalised the annexation of the Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia, which had...
Italy
On 7 October 1879, Germany and Austria-Hungary became allies. On 20 May 1882, they were joined by the Kingdom of Italy in what was known as the
"Triple Alliance."The Triple Alliance was the military alliance among Germany, Austria–Hungary, and Italy that lasted from 1882 until the start of World War I in 1914. Each member promised mutual support in the event of an attack by any two other great powers, or for Germany and Italy, an attack by France alone...
This alliance was intended to be limited to defensive purposes only.
When
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
began, the petition made by Germany and Austria-Hungary for Italian intervention was rejected by the Italian Government on the grounds of these two countries declaring war on the
Kingdom of SerbiaThe Kingdom of Serbia was created when Prince Milan Obrenović, ruler of the Principality of Serbia, was crowned King in 1882. The Principality of Serbia was ruled by the Karadjordjevic dynasty from 1817 onwards...
, rather than taking defensive action against it.
Italy eventually entered World War I on May 23, 1915, but it fought against Germany and Austria-Hungary rather than with them, because of the land promised them in the Treaty of London made with France and Britain. This treaty promised Italy the Italian lands of Habsburg Empire and territories in Asia Minor, Africa and the Balkans.
Ottoman Empire joins
Following the outbreak of war in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
during August 1914, the Ottoman Empire intervened at the end of October by taking action against Russia, resulting in declarations of war by the
Triple EntenteThe Triple Entente was the name given to the loose alignment between the United Kingdom, France, and Russia after the signing of the Anglo-Russian Entente in 1907...
.
Bulgaria joins
Bulgaria, still resentful after its
defeatThe Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria dissatisfied from its share after the division of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies repulsed the Bulgarian offensive and counter-attacked...
in July 1913 at the hands of Serbia,
GreeceThe Kingdom of Greece was a state established in 1832 in the Convention of London by the Great Powers...
,
RomaniaThe Kingdom of Romania was the old Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
and the Ottoman Empire, was the last nation to enter the war against the Entente, invading Serbia in conjunction with
GermanThe German Army was the name given the combined armed forces of the German Empire, also known as the Imperial Army or Imperial German Army. The term "Deutsches Heer" is also used for the modern German Army, the land component of the German Bundeswehr...
and
Austro-Hungarian forcesThe Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy . It was composed of the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .Most of Hungarian cavalry, infantry and artillery troops...
in October 1915.
Other movements
Other movements supported the efforts of the Central Powers for their own reasons, such as the
Irish NationalistsThe Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland during the mid-19th and early 20th centuries...
who launched the
Easter RisingThe Easter Rising , was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic...
in
DublinDublin is the largest city and capital of Ireland. It is officially known in Irish as Baile Átha Cliath or Áth Cliath ; the English name comes from the Irish Dubh Linn meaning "black pool". It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the...
in April 1916; they referred to their "gallant allies in Europe". In 1914 Józef Piłsudski was permitted by the Austrians to form independent
Polish legionsPolish Legions was the name of Polish armed forces created in August 1914 in Galicia. Thanks to the efforts of KSSN and the Polish members of the Austrian parliament, the unit became an independent formation of the Austro-Hungarian Army...
. Piłsudski wanted his legions to help the Central Powers defeat Russia and then side with France and the UK and win the war with them. During the years 1917 and 1918, the
FinnsThe Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland that existed in its territory 1809–1917 as part of the Russian Empire.- History :...
under
C.G.E. MannerheimBaron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim was the Commander-in-Chief of Finland's Defence Forces, Marshal of Finland, a politician, and a military commander...
and the
UkrainianUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The city of Kiev is both the capital and the largest city of...
and
LithuaniaLithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the southernmost of the three Baltic states. Situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, it shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland, and the Russian exclave of...
n nationalists fought Russia for a
common causeCo-belligerence is waging the war in cooperation against a common enemy without the formal treaty of military alliance.Co-belligerence is a broader and less precise status of wartime partnership as a formal military alliance. Co-belligerents may support each other materially, exchange intelligence...
. The Ottoman Empire also had its own allies in
AzerbaijanThe Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was the first successful attempt to establish a democratic and secular republic in the Muslim world . The ADR was founded on May 28, 1918 after the collapse of the Russian Empire that began with the Russian Revolution of 1917 by Azerbaijani National Council in...
and the
Northern CaucasusThe Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus was a short-lived state situated in the Northern Caucasus...
. The three nations fought alongside each other under the Army of Islam in the
Battle of BakuThe Battle of Baku in June - September 1918 was a warfare between coalitions of Ottoman-Azerbaijani forces led by Nuri Pasha and Bolshevik-Dashnak Baku Soviet forces, later succeeded by British-Armenian-White Russian forces led by Lionel Dunsterville as part of the final battle of the Caucasus...
.
Armistice
Bulgaria signed an
armisticeAn armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...
with the Allies on 29 September 1918, following a successful Allied advance in
MacedoniaMacedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but the region is nowadays held to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania and Serbia...
. The Ottoman Empire followed suit on 30 October 1918 in the face of British and
ArabArab people or Arabs are an ethnic group whose members identify along linguistic, cultural or genealogical grounds...
gains in
PalestinePalestine is a conventional name used, among others, to describe a geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands.As a geographical term, Palestine can also refer to 'ancient Palestine,' an area...
and
SyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest....
.
AustriaThe Republic of German Austria was the initial rump state successor to the Austro-Hungarian Empire following World War I for areas with a predominantly German-speaking population...
and
HungaryThe Hungarian Democratic Republic was an independent republic proclaimed after the collapse of Austro-Hungarian Monarchy in 1918.-History:The Hungarian Democratic Republic was created by revolution that started in Budapest on October 31, 1918. Official proclamation of the republic was on November...
concluded ceasefires separately during the first week of November following the disintegration of the
Habsburg EmpireThe Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The capital was mainly Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when the capital was Prague...
and the Italian offensive; Germany signed the armistice ending the war on the morning of 11 November 1918 after the Allied
Hundred Days OffensiveThe Hundred Days Offensive was the final period of World War I, where the Allies launched a series of offensives against the Central Powers on the Western Front from 8 August 1918 to 11 November 1918, beginning with the Battle of Amiens...
, a succession of advances by
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n,
CanadianCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
,
BelgianThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
,
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name and the state form of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927...
,
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
and
USThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
forces in north-eastern France and Belgium.
Central Powers by date of ArmisticeAn armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...
| Flag |
Name |
Armistice |
| Bulgaria |
BulgariaThe Kingdom of Bulgaria was established on October 5, 1908 when the Principality of Bulgaria officially proclaimed itself independent from the Ottoman Empire and was elevated to the style of kingdom. This move also formalised the annexation of the Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia, which had...
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| Ottoman Empire |
Ottoman EmpireThe Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِیَّهِ عُثْمَانِیَّه Dawlet-il ʿAliyyat-il ʿOs̠māniyye, Modern Turkish:...
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| Austria-Hungary |
Austria-HungaryAustria–Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the k.u.k. Monarchy, or Dual State, was a monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in Central Europe...
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| German Empire |
German EmpireThe German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871 to 1918, when it became a German republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of Wilhelm II .The term Second Reich...
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Leaders
Austria-Hungary
- Franz Josef I
Franz Joseph I , reigned as Emperor of Austria and King of Bohemia from 1848 until 1916 and as King of Hungary and Crotia from 1848 until 1916 .-Early life:Franz Joseph was born in the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, the oldest son of...
- Emperor of Austria-Hungary
- Karl I - Emperor of Austria-Hungary
- Conrad von Hötzendorf - Chief of the Austro-Hungarian General Staff
- Arthur Arz von Straussenburg
Arthur Freiherr Arz von Straussenburg June 16, 1857 - June 1, 1935, was an Austro-Hungarian Colonel-General and last Chief of General Staff to the Austro-Hungarian Army.- Early life :...
- Chief of the Austro-Hungarian General Staff
- Anton Haus
Anton Haus was an Austrian naval officer. Despite his German surname, he was born to a Slovenian-speaking family in Tolmein . Haus was fleet commander of the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the First World War and was the Navy's Grand Admiral from 1916 until his death.Haus entered the Navy in 1869...
- Commander-in-Chief of the Austro-Hungarian Navy
- Maximilian Njegovan
Maksimilijan Njegovan was a Croatian admiral in the Austro-Hungarian Navy. He was the Navy's senior administrator as well as its fleet commander in 1917-18.-Background:Njegovan was born in 1858 in Agram...
- Commander-in-Chief of the Austro-Hungarian Navy
German Empire
- Wilhelm II
Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia , ruling both the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia from 15 June 1888 to 9 November 1918....
- German Emperor
- Erich von Falkenhayn
Erich von Falkenhayn was a German soldier and Chief of the General Staff during World War I. He became a military writer after World War One.-Early life:...
- Chief of the German General Staff
- Paul von Hindenburg
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a German field marshal and statesman....
- Chief of the German General Staff
- Reinhard Scheer
Reinhard Scheer was an Admiral in the German Imperial Navy. He was in command of the Kaiserliche Marine High Seas Fleet at the Battle of Jutland, one of the largest naval battles in history....
- Commander of the Imperial High Seas Fleet
- Erich Ludendorff
Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff was a German Army officer, victor of Liège, and, with Paul von Hindenburg, one of the victors of the battle of Tannenberg. From August 1916 his appointment as Generalquartiermeister made him joint head of Germany's war effort...
- Deputy Chief of Staff of the German Army
- Wilhelm Souchon
Wilhelm Anton Souchon was a German admiral in World War I who commanded the Kaiserliche Marine's Mediterranean squadron in the early days of the war. His initiative made him one of the most important characters for the entry of the Ottoman Empire into World War I...
- German Naval Advisor to the Ottoman Empire
- Otto Liman von Sanders
Generalleutnant Otto Liman von Sanders was a German general who served as adviser and military commander for the Ottoman Empire during World War I....
- German Army Advisor to the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
- Mehmed V
Mehmed V Reshad was the 35th Ottoman Sultan. He was the son of Sultan Abdülmecid I...
- Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
- İsmail Enver
İsmail Enver Efendi
, known to Europeans during his political and military career as Enver Pasha or Enver Bey, was a Turkish military officer and a leader of the Young Turk revolution...
- Commander-in-Chief of the Ottoman Army
- Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was a Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, and founder of the Republic of Turkey as well as its first President....
- Commander of the Second ArmyThe Second Army of the Ottoman Empire was formed in the late 19th Century during Ottoman military reforms.- Order of Battle, 1877:In 1877, it was stationed in what is now Bulgaria...
Bulgaria
- Ferdinand I
Ferdinand , born Prince Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was the Knjaz and later Tsar of Bulgaria as well as an author, botanist, entomologist and philatelist....
- Czar of Bulgaria
- Nikola Zhekov
Nikola Todorov Zhekov was a Minister of War of Bulgaria in 1915 and served as Commander-in-Chief from 1916-1918 during World War I....
- Commander-in-Chief of the Bulgarian Army
- Vladimir Vazov
Vladimir Minchev Vazov was a Bulgarian officer. He led the Bulgarian forces during the successful defensive operation at Dojran during the First World War....
- Bulgarian Lieutenant General
See also
- Triple Entente
The Triple Entente was the name given to the loose alignment between the United Kingdom, France, and Russia after the signing of the Anglo-Russian Entente in 1907...
- Participants in World War I
This is a list of countries that participated in World War I, sorted by alphabetical order.-The Entente Forces:Note: The Entente Forces are sometimes also referred to as the Entente Powers or Allies of World War I....
- Axis powers
The Axis powers comprised the countries that were opposed to the Allies during World War II. The three major Axis powers—Germany, Italy, and Japan—were part of a military alliance on the signing of the Tripartite Pact in September 1940, which officially founded the Axis powers...
(allies of Nazi GermanyNazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...
in WWIIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
)
- Allies of World War I
The Entente powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The key members of the Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire. New Zealand, Belgium, Serbia, Canada, Australia, Italy, Romania and the United States were also drawn into the war...
- Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...