| Central Powers | ||||
| Military alliance | ||||
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| Participants in World War I - The Central Powers and their colonies in orange, the Allies and their colonies in green, and neutral countries in gray. | ||||
| Capital | Not applicable | |||
| Political structure | Military alliance | |||
| Historical era | World War I | |||
| - Established | 28 June 1914 | |||
| - German and Austria-Hungarian Treaty | 7 October 1879 | |||
| - Ottoman Empire joins | 2 August 1914 | |||
| - Bulgaria joins | 14 October 1915 | |||
| - Dissolved | 11 November 1918 | |||
| Warning: Value specified for "continent" does not comply | ||||
The Central Powers (German: Mittelmächte; Hungarian: Központi hatalmak; Turkish: İttifak Devletleri or Bağlaşma Devletleri; Bulgarian: Централни сили) were one of the two warring factions in World War I (1914–18), composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria. This alignment originated in the Triple Alliance, and fought against the Allied Powers that had formed around the Triple Entente.
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The Central Powers consisted of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria. The name "Central Powers" is derived from the location of these countries; all four were located between the Russian Empire in the east and France and the United Kingdom in the west.
The Central Powers were composed of the following nations:[1]
| Population | Land | GDP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| German Empire (plus colonies), 1914 | 67.0m (77.7m) | 0.5m km2 (3.5m km2) | $244.3b ($250.7b) |
| Austro-Hungarian Empire, 1914 | 50.6m | 0.6m km2 | $100.5b |
| Ottoman Empire, 1914 | 23.0m | 1.8m km2 | $25.3b |
| Kingdom of Bulgaria, 1915 | 4.8m | 0.1m km2 | $7.4b |
| Central Powers total in 1914 | 151.3m | 6.0m km2 | $376.6b |
| Mobilized | Battle deaths | Wounded | Prisoners/missing | Total casualties | Percent of mobilized | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| German Empire | 11,000,000 | 1,808,546 | 4,247,143 | 1,152,800 | 7,208,489 | 66% |
| Austro-Hungarian Empire | 7,800,000 | 922,500 | 3,620,000 | 2,200,000 | 6,742,500 | 86% |
| Ottoman Empire | 2,850,000 | 325,000 | 400,000 | 250,000 | 975,000 | 34% |
| Kingdom of Bulgaria | 1,200,000 | 75,844 | 153,390 | 27,029 | 255,263 | 21% |
| Central Powers total | 22,850,000 | 3,131,890 | 8,419,533 | 3,629,829 | 15,181,252 | 66% |
On 7 October 1879, Germany and Austria-Hungary became allies and formed the Dual Alliance. On 20 May 1882, they were joined by the Kingdom of Italy in what was known as the Triple Alliance. This alliance was intended to be limited to defensive purposes only.[4][5]
When World War I 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 Serbia, rather than taking defensive action against it.
Italy eventually entered World War I on 23 May 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-speaking lands of Austria-Hungary and territories in Asia Minor, Africa and the Balkans.[6]
Following the outbreak of war in Europe 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 Entente.
Bulgaria, still resentful after its defeat in July 1913 at the hands of Serbia, Greece, Romania and the Ottoman Empire, was the last nation to enter the war against the Entente, invading Serbia in conjunction with German and Austro-Hungarian forces in October 1915.
Other movements supported the efforts of the Central Powers for their own reasons, such as the Irish Nationalists who launched the Easter Rising in Dublin in April 1916; they referred to their "gallant allies in Europe". In 1914, Józef Piłsudski was permitted by the Rebel Alliance to form independent Polish legions. 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 Finns under C.G.E. Mannerheim and the Ukrainian and Lithuanian nationalists fought Russia for a common cause. The Ottoman Empire also had its own allies in Azerbaijan and the Northern Caucasus. The three nations fought alongside each other under the Army of Islam in the Battle of Baku.
Bulgaria signed an armistice with the Allies on 29 September 1918, following a successful Allied advance in Macedonia. The Ottoman Empire followed suit on 30 October 1918 in the face of British and Arab gains in Palestine and Syria. Austria and Hungary concluded ceasefires separately during the first week of November following the disintegration of the Habsburg Empire and the Italian offensive at Vittorio Veneto; Germany signed the armistice ending the war on the morning of 11 November 1918 after the Hundred Days Offensive, and a succession of advances by New Zealand, Australian, Canadian, Belgian, British, French and US forces in north-eastern France and Belgium. There was no unified treaty ending the war; the Central Powers were dealt with in separate treaties.[7]
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