The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to World War I:
World War I – major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. It involved all the world's great powers,[1] which were assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies (centred on the Triple Entente of Britain, France and Russia) and the Central Powers (originally centred on the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy).[2] More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history.[3][4] More than 9 million combatants were killed, largely because of great technological advances in firepower without corresponding advances in mobility. It was the sixth deadliest conflict in world history, subsequently paving the way for various political changes such as revolutions in the nations involved.[5]
World War I can be described as all of the following:
World War I was further characterized by the following types of warfare:
Cultural and strategic factors:
Destabilizing of the European balance of power:
Web of alliances:
World War I was fought between the Allies and the Central Powers.
Other states that had military participation:
States that declared war, but had no military involvement:
List of infantry weapons of World War I
United States service medals of the World Wars
The First World War saw many instances of war crimes being committed by both the Allied and Central powers: