The Allies- Their History and Role in WWI

“U.S. troops advance against entrenched German positions in 1918.”

This was the first time a war was fought with entire nations divided into two sides. The two sides were the "The Allies", also known as the Allied Powers, which was Great Britain, France, Italy, Russia, and the United States (part of the Associated Powers but still against the Central Powers).  The other side was The Central Powers which was Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.  Germany and France were already traditional enemies.  This war also had a staggering death toll with an estimated 14 million people killed.  This was made up of 9 million soldiers and 5 million civilians.  Financial costs were also staggering, estimated at about 337 billion.


The Allied Powers

The Major Powers or the Allied Powers consisted of the British Empire, France, and the Russian Empire at first.  The Treaty of London joined these countries formally and was signed on September 5, 1914.  External treaties allowed the rest of the countries that became part of the Allied Powers to join.  Japan and Portugal would later join in treaties with Britain and Italy joined by the Treaty of London on April 26, 1915 with all 3 major powers of the British Empire, France, and the Russian Empire.  The United States among other nations joined and gained entry to the Associated Powers.  The Associated Powers were nations against the Central Powers but were not the Allied Powers. WWI concluded with the Treaty of Versailles and included 27 countries between the Allied and Associated Powers.

The Central Powers

The Central Powers included Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.  They also included the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. The Central Powers came from an earlier alliance created by Otto von Bismarck in 1882


Causes of World War I

How the Allies Won World War I

Treaty of Versailles

With the Treaty of Versailles, Great Britain and France take over Germany's colonies in Africa.  The Allies took over parts of present day Togo, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanzania.  Some felt that the treaty was too harsh and went too far in the punishment for Germany and they correctly predicted the second coming of a World War.  Many people in France thought and argued that the treaty did not go far enough in the punishment of Germany.   The dissatisfaction of Germans with the Treaty of Versailles would lead to political extremism in Germany.



“American soldiers on the Piave front hurl a shower of hand grenades into Austrian trenches in Italy during World War I.”





Works Cited

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"Combat in 1918." Photos/Illustrations. National Archives. World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2015. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

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Central Powers." Pixshark.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2015.

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