What makes a war a “world” war?

The First World War began with an assassination in Bosnia, a small province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the Balkan Peninsula in Europe. The initial fight it set off among European states may seem small for the start of a war so big. So how did it happen?

The truth is, the First World War was much bigger than just a European conflict, right from the very beginning, in August 1914. In the years that followed, it grew even larger. By 1918, most of the world’s population was officially at war, and even the countries that tried not to take sides were frequently involved in one way or the other. Let’s look closer at who was fighting, why they were fighting, and where they were fighting.

Who fought? Empire vs. empire

In August 1914, two large alliances faced off against each other. On one side were Germany and Austro-Hungary, soon joined by the Ottoman Empire. These were the Central Powers. On the other side were the Entente powers. These were France, Russia, and a group of smaller allies including Portugal, Belgium, and Serbia. They were soon joined by Italy and then Britain.

Technically, all of these were European states. However, many of the territories controlled by these states were not in Europe. Their empires covered large portions of the globe and huge populations. The British Empire was the largest in the world. It ruled over Canada, the Caribbean, the entire landmass of Australia, and much of South Asia and Africa. The British Empire’s population in 1914 stood at 412 million people, but over 80% of those people were actually Indian, as the British Empire controlled India. Another 36 million subjects lived in other British colonies. There were only 44 million British citizens in its own huge empire. France also had a large overseas empire, mostly in the Caribbean, the Pacific Ocean, Africa, and Southeast Asia. The Ottoman Empire stretched into Arabia. Italy, Portugal, and Belgium all had African colonies. Russia extended all the way from the eastern edge of Europe to the Pacific Coast of Asia, although much of this land had very few people living there.

The war was already global in 1914 due to the reach of the empires. Then other states around the world joined the Entente powers. These included Japan in Asia, the United States in North America, and Brazil in South America, to name an important few. In August 1917, the Chinese government officially declared war on the Central Powers. By late 1917, most of the world was at war.

Asking “who fought?” is one thing when you talk about states, alliances, and empires. Let’s look at the real people who marched into battle as troops, though. At the beginning of the war, most of the soldiers were Europeans. But soon, the European empires began to call upon colonial soldiers to help them. The British Empire brought in more than 1.2 million Indian soldiers, accounting for more than a quarter of England’s total troops. Other colonies also sent soldiers. Nigeria sent 17,000 soldiers and 37,000 laborers. From Canada, 332,000 soldiers came to fight, and another 444,000 from New Zealand and Australia. France relied on 335,000 African troops and more than 50,000 armed men from Vietnam and neighboring regions, plus lots of laborers. Russia drew heavily on troops from Siberia and Central Asia. By 1916, Entente soldiers were joined in the trenches by more than 120,000 laborers from China, which was supposedly not taking sides in the war yet. Eventually, almost 2,000,000 American soldiers joined the Entente forces. The victory of the Entente was truly a global effort.

Why did they fight? Homegrown hostilities, global ambitions

The fighting was certainly global, but many of the causes of the First World War had to do with problems within Europe. Specifically, there were tensions in the Balkan Peninsula, as well as ongoing disputes over who controlled the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine between France and Germany. Other motivations were more global. Britain and France both hoped to gain Ottoman territories along the Mediterranean Sea. Japan aspired to control German colonies in the Pacific Ocean.

Perhaps most importantly, Britain was worried about the growing German Navy. Britain was wealthy only because of its control over a vast empire and its trade. It was Britain’s large navy that protected its control over this trade. The fear that a rival navy might grow large enough to cut Britain off from its colonies was more than enough reason to fight Germany.

Where did they fight? Global violence over land and sea

Most of the fighting in the First World War took place in Europe. There were three European fronts: 1) the Italian border with the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Balkans in the south, 2) the Eastern Front along the Russian border in the east, and 3) the Western Front in France and Belgium. However, a lot of fighting took place outside of Europe as well. There were naval battles all over the world’s waters. Many of these were small-scale, and some were fought in seas as far from Europe as East Africa and Hawaii.

On land, as well, there were battles and long campaigns in many parts of the world. Entente forces quickly attacked German colonies in Africa, taking most by 1915. Japanese sailors and soldiers captured German colonies in the Pacific Ocean. The British supported Arab rebels fighting Ottoman soldiers. The Ottomans and Germans tried to stir up Britain’s Muslim colonial subjects in many colonies. They worked with Muslims who were unhappy with colonialism in British India.

Conclusion

The war ended with the surrender of the Central Powers in 1918 and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. The end of the conflict had major implications for Europe. In particular, it tore the Austro-Hungarian Empire into many smaller states. By punishing Germany badly, the Treaty of Versailles helped set the stage for the Second World War.

Outside of Europe as well, the resolution of the war had vast implications. The destruction of the Ottoman Empire made a particularly big mess. Britain needed a lot of help to bring down this huge power. They gathered allies by making promises about what would happen after the Ottoman Empire was defeated. These included promises to both the Jewish and Arab communities about who would control the territory of Palestine. However, after the war, Britain took control of Palestine and neighboring territories for itself. Unkept promises, and the lack of a resolution, would pave the way for decades of distrust and warfare. The results continue into the present day.