who was involved in ww1
World War I was fought mainly between two big military blocs: the Allies (Entente Powers) and the Central Powers.
Main Country Groups
Allies (Entente Powers)
Core Allied countries included:
- France
- United Kingdom (and the wider British Empire, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, etc.)
- Russian Empire (until it left the war in 1917)
- Italy (joined the Allies in 1915 after leaving its old alliance with Germany and Austria‑Hungary)
- United States (entered the war in 1917)
- Japan
Other Allied and associated countries that took part included Belgium, Serbia, Romania, Greece, Portugal, Montenegro, Brazil, and several others from Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Central Powers
The Central Powers were:
- Germany
- Austria‑Hungary
- Ottoman Empire
- Bulgaria
These states coordinated their military strategies and fought on multiple fronts across Europe, the Middle East, and beyond.
Simple HTML Table of the Major Sides
| Side | Major Countries | Also Involved |
|---|---|---|
| Allies (Entente) | France, United Kingdom, Russian Empire, Italy, United States, Japan | [1][2][3]Belgium, Serbia, Romania, Greece, Portugal, Brazil, many colonies and dominions of the empires | [8][3][1]
| Central Powers | Germany, Austria‑Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria | [3][6][1]Smaller allied forces and subject peoples within their empires | [10][7]
Quick context
World War I (1914–1918) pulled in “all the great powers of Europe” and their worldwide empires, meaning soldiers and resources from Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas were drawn into the fighting. In total, more than 70 million military personnel were mobilized, making it one of the largest and deadliest conflicts in history.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.
