No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 23: | Line 23: | ||
|established_date6 = 1920 |
|established_date6 = 1920 |
||
}} |
}} |
||
| + | [[File:Vierbund05h.jpg|thumb|285px|{{nowrap|Leaders of the Central Powers (left to right):<br>Kaiser {{CV|Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Wilhelm II}} of Germany;<br>Kaiser and King {{CV|Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Joseph}} of Austria-Hungary;<br>Sultan {{CV|Mehmed V}} of the Ottoman Empire;<br>Tsar {{CV|Ferdinand I of Bulgaria|Ferdinand}} of Bulgaria.]] |
||
| − | The '''Central Powers''' ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_language German]: "Mittelmächte"; [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_language Hungarian]: "Központi hatalmak"; [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_language Turkish]: "İttifak Devletleri" ''or'' "Bağlaşma Devletleri"; [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_language Bulgarian]: "Централни сили") was one of the two sides that participated in [[World War I (Central Victory)|World War I]], the other being the [[Allied Powers of World War I (Central Victory)|Entente (Allied) Powers]]. |
||
| + | The '''Central Powers''' ({{lang|German}}: Mittelmächte; {{lang|Hungarian}}: Központi hatalmak; {{lang|Turkish}}: İttifak Devletleri'' or ''Bağlaşma Devletleri; {{lang|Bulgarian}}: Централни сили ''Tsentralni sili''), consisting of {{CV|German Empire|Germany}}, {{CV|Austria-Hungary}}, the {{CV|Ottoman Empire}} and {{CV||Bulgaria}} – hence also known as the '''Quadruple Alliance''' ({{lang|German}}: Vierbund) was one of the two main factions during {{CV|World War I}} (1914–18). It faced and defeated the {{CV|Allies of World War I|Allied Powers}} that had formed around the Triple Entente, after which it was dissolved. |
||
| − | ==Member states== |
||
| − | The Central Powers consisted of the [[German Empire (Central Victory)|German Empire]], the [[Austria-Hungary (Central Victory)|Austro-Hungarian Empire]], the [[Ottoman Turkey (Central Victory)|Ottoman Empire]] and the [[Kingdom of Bulgaria (Central Victory)|Kingdom of Bulgaria]]. The name "Central Powers" is derived from the location of these countries. |
||
| − | All four were located between the [[Russian Empire (Central Victory)|Russian Empire]] in the east and the [[French Third Republic (Central Victory)|French Third Republic]] and the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (Central Victory)|United Kingdom]] in the west. The alliances made between these four nations were a result of Germany's inability to gain power on the "world stage". The Germans then decided to focus on creating an alliance of ''Mitteleuropa'', i.e., Central Europe. The Balkans were originally desired as members of this alliance, but as the Balkans formed separate, autonomous states this was deemed impossible. |
||
| + | The Powers' origin was the {{w|Dual Alliance (1879)|alliance of Germany and Austria-Hungary in 1879}}. The Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria did not join until after World War I had begun. |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | ** [[German East Africa (Central Victory)|German East Africa]] |
||
| − | ** [[Togoland (Central Victory)|Togoland]] |
||
| − | ** [[German South-West Africa (Central Victory)|German South-West Africa]] |
||
| − | ** [[Kamerun (Central Victory)|Kamerun]] |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | ** [[German Samoa (Central Victory)|German Samoa]] |
||
| − | * [[File:Flag of the Ottoman Empire.svg|border|25px]] [[Ottoman Turkey (Central Victory)|Ottoman Empire]] |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | * [[File:Flag of Mexico (1893-1916).png|border|25px]] [[United Mexican States (Central Victory)|United Mexican States]] |
||
| − | == |
+ | == Member states == |
| − | On October 7, 1879, Germany and Austria-Hungary became allies and formed the Dual Alliance. On May 20, 1882, they were joined by the [[Kingdom of Italy (Central Victory)|Kingdom of Italy]] in what was known as the [[wikipedia:Triple Alliance (1882)|Triple Alliance]]. This alliance was intended to be limited to defensive purposes only. |
||
| − | When [[World War I (Central Victory)|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 (Central Victory)|Kingdom of Serbia]], rather than taking defensive action against it. |
||
| − | Italy eventually entered World War I on May 23, 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 lands of the Habsburg Empire and territories in Asia Minor, Africa and the Balkans. |
||
| + | The Central Powers consisted of the {{CV|German Empire}} and the {{CV|Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian Empire}} at the beginning of the war. The {{CV|Ottoman Empire}} joined the Central Powers later in 1914. In 1915, the {{CV|Kingdom of Bulgaria}} joined the alliance. The name "Central Powers" is derived from the location of these countries; all four (including the other groups that supported them except for {{CV|Finland}} and {{CV|Lithuania}}) were located between the {{CV|Russian Empire}} in the east and {{CV|French Third Republic|France}} and the {{CV|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom}} in the west. {{CV|Finland}}, {{CV|Azerbaijan Democratic Republic|Azerbaijan}}, and {{CV|Lithuania}} joined them in 1918 before the war ended and after the Russian Empire collapsed. |
||
| − | ==Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria== |
||
| − | Following the outbreak of war in [[wikipedia:Europe|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 [[wikipedia:Second Balkan War|defeat]] in July 1913 at the hands of Serbia, [[Kingdom of Greece (Central Victory)|Greece]], [[Kingdom of Romania (Central Victory)|Romania]] and the Ottoman Empire, was the second to last nation to enter the war against the Entente, invading Serbia in conjunction with [[German Army (Central Victory)|German]] and [[Austro-Hungarian Army (Central Victory)|Austro-Hungarian forces]] in October 1915. |
||
| + | [[File:FR-WW1-1914.png|thumb|Europe in 1914.]] |
||
| − | ==Mexico== |
||
| − | In 1917 a diplomatic proposal was sent from the [[German Empire (Central Victory)|German Empire]] to [[United Mexican States (Central Victory)|Mexico]] to make war against the [[United States of America (Central Victory)|United States]]. The proposal came as a [[wikipedia:code (cryptography)|coded]] [[wikipedia:telegram|telegram]] dispatched by the Foreign Secretary of the German Empire, [[Arthur Zimmermann (Central Victory)|Arthur Zimmermann]], on January 16, 1917, to the German ambassador in [[wikipedia:Washington, D.C.|Washington, D.C.]], [[Johann Heinrich von Bernstorff (Central Victory)|Johann von Bernstorff]], at the height of [[World War I (Central Victory)|World War I]]. On January 19, Bernstorff, per Zimmermann's request, forwarded the telegram to the German ambassador in Mexico, [[Heinrich von Eckardt (Central Victory)|Heinrich von Eckardt]]. Zimmermann sent the telegram in anticipation of the [[Battle of the Atlantic (1914–1918) (Central Victory)|resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare]] by Germany on February 1, an act which German Chancellor [[Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg (Central Victory)|Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg]] feared would draw the neutral U.S. into war on the side of the [[Allied Powers of World War I (Central Victory)|Allies]]. The telegram instructed Ambassador Eckardt that if the U.S. appeared likely to enter the war, he was to approach the Mexican Government with a proposal for [[wikipedia:military alliance|military alliance]]. He was to offer Mexico material aid in the reclamation of territory lost during the [[wikipedia:Mexican-American War|Mexican-American War]] (the Southeastern section of the area of the [[wikipedia:Mexican Cession|Mexican Cession]] of 1848) and the [[wikipedia:Gadsden Purchase|Gadsden Purchase]], specifically the [[wikipedia:U.S. state|American states]] of [[wikipedia:Texas|Texas]], [[wikipedia:New Mexico|New Mexico]], and [[wikipedia:Arizona|Arizona]]. Eckardt was also instructed to urge Mexico to help broker an alliance between Germany and the [[Empire of Japan (Central Victory)|Japanese Empire]]. |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | Mexican President [[Venustiano Carranza (Central Victory)|Venustiano Carranza]] assigned a general to assess the feasibility of a Mexican takeover of their former territories. The general concluded that it would be possible but extremely difficult. Germany offered to ship vital war supplies to Mexico if they accepted. With this in mind, Carranza formally accepted Zimmermann's proposals on April 14, by which time the U.S. had declared war on Germany. |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | == Other movements == |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | Other movements supported the efforts of the Central Powers for their own reasons, such as the [[Irish Republican Brotherhood (Central Victory)|Irish Nationalists]] who launched the [[Easter Rising (Central Victory)|Easter Rising]] in [[wikipedia:Dublin|Dublin]] in April 1916; they referred to their "gallant allies in Europe". In 1914, [[Józef Piłsudski (Central Victory)|Józef Piłsudski]] was permitted to form independent [[Polish Army (Central Victory)|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. However when it became clear that the Allies would lose he changed his mind. During the years 1917 and 1918, the [[wikipedia:Grand Duchy of Finland|Finns]] under [[Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (Central Victory)|C.G.E. Mannerheim]] and the [[Ukrainian People's Republic (Central Victory)|Ukrainian]] and [[Kingdom of Lithuania (Central Victory)|Lithuanian]] nationalists fought Russia for a [[wikipedia:Co-belligerence|common cause]]. The Ottoman Empire also had its own allies in [[Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (Central Victory)|Azerbaijan]] and the [[Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus (Central Victory)|Northern Caucasus]]. The three nations fought alongside each other under the [[Ottoman Army of Islam (Central Victory)|Army of Islam]] in the [[Battle of Baku (Central Victory)|Battle of Baku]]. After the war many of these nations and supporters gained independence from Britain and Russia. |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | == |
+ | == Combatants == |
| + | ==='''Germany'''=== |
||
| − | ===[[File:Flag of Austria-Hungary 1869-1918.svg|border|25px]] '''Austria-Hungary'''=== |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | *[[wikipedia:Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Josef I]]: Emperor of Austria-Hungary |
||
| − | *[[Charles I of Austria (Central Victory)|Karl I]]: Emperor of Austria-Hungary |
||
| − | *[[Count Leopold Berchtold (Central Victory)|Count Leopold Berchtold]]: Austrian Foreign Minister |
||
| − | *István Tisza: Prime Minister of Hungary |
||
| − | *[[Conrad von Hötzendorf (Central Victory)|Conrad von Hötzendorf]]: Chief of the Austro-Hungarian General Staff |
||
| − | *[[Arthur Arz von Straußenburg (Central Victory)|Arthur Arz von Straussenburg]]: Chief of the Austro-Hungarian General Staff |
||
| − | *[[Anton Haus (Central Victory)|Anton Haus]]: Commander-in-Chief of the Austro-Hungarian Navy |
||
| − | *[[Maximilian Njegovan (Central Victory)|Maximilian Njegovan]]: Commander-in-Chief of the Austro-Hungarian Navy |
||
| − | |||
| − | ===[[File:Flag of the German Empire.svg|border|25px]] '''German Empire'''=== |
||
| − | *[[Wilhelm II, German Emperor (Central Victory)|Wilhelm II]]: German Emperor |
||
| − | *[[Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg (Central Victory)|Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg]]: Chancellor of the [[German Empire]] |
||
| − | *[[Erich von Falkenhayn (Central Victory)|Erich von Falkenhayn]]: Chief of the German General Staff |
||
| − | *[[Paul von Hindenburg (Central Victory)|Paul von Hindenburg]]: Chief of the German General Staff |
||
| − | *[[Reinhard Scheer (Central Victory)|Reinhard Scheer]]: Commander of the Imperial High Seas Fleet |
||
| − | *[[Erich Ludendorff (Central Victory)|Erich Ludendorff]]: Deputy Chief of Staff of the German Army |
||
| − | *[[Wilhelm Souchon (Central Victory)|Wilhelm Souchon]]: German Naval Advisor to the Ottoman Empire |
||
| − | *[[Otto Liman von Sanders (Central Victory)|Otto Liman von Sanders]]: German Army Advisor to the Ottoman Empire |
||
| − | *[[Paul Erich von Lettow-Vorbeck (Central Victory)|Paul Erich von Lettow-Vorbeck]]: German Army Commander of East Africa Campaign |
||
| − | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | *[[wikipedia:Mehmed V|Mehmed V]]: Sultan of the Ottoman Empire |
||
| − | *[[Mehmed VI (Central Victory)|Mehmed VI]]: Sultan of the Ottoman Empire |
||
| − | *[[Said Halim Pasha (Central Victory)|Said Halim Pasha]]: Ottoman Grand Viziers |
||
| − | *[[Enver Pasha (Central Victory)|İsmail Enver]]: Commander-in-Chief of the [[Ottoman Army (Central Victory)|Ottoman Army]] |
||
| − | *Fritz Bronsart von Schellendorf: Chief of the Ottoman General Staff |
||
| − | *[[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (Central Victory)|Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]]: Commander of the Second Army |
||
| − | |||
| − | ===[[File:Flag of Bulgaria.png|border|25px]] '''Bulgaria'''=== |
||
| − | *[[Ferdinand I of Bulgaria (Central Victory)|Ferdinand I]]: Czar of Bulgaria |
||
| − | *[[Vasil Radoslavov (Central Victory)|Vasil Radoslavov]]: Prime Minister of Bulgaria |
||
| − | *[[Nikola Zhekov (Central Victory)|Nikola Zhekov]]: Commander-in-Chief of the Bulgarian Army |
||
| − | *[[Georgi Todorov (general) (Central Victory)|Georgi Todorov]]: commander of the 2nd Army, deputy Commander-in-Chief |
||
| − | |||
| − | ===[[File:Flag of Mexico (1893-1916).png|border|25px]] '''Mexico'''=== |
||
| − | *[[Venustiano Carranza (Central Victory)|Venustiano Carranza]]: President of Mexico |
||
| − | *Manuel Aguirre Berlanga: Secretary of the Interior |
||
| − | *Jesús Agustín Castro: Secretariat of National Defense |
||
| − | *Juan José Ríos: Commander of the 1st Army |
||
[[Category:Central Victory]] |
[[Category:Central Victory]] |
||
[[Category:World War I]] |
[[Category:World War I]] |
||
Revision as of 01:35, 31 October 2014
| Mittelmächte Központi hatalmak İttifak Devletleri Централни сили Central Powers |
||
|---|---|---|
 Participants in World War I
Orange: Central Powers and their colonies. Green: Allies and their colonies. Gray: Neutral countries. |
||
| Capital | none (de jure) Berlin (de facto) | |
| Government | Military alliance | |
| Establishment | ||
| - | Established | 28 June 1914 |
| - | Dual Alliance (Germany \ Austria-Hungary) |
7 October 1879 |
| - | Ottoman–German Alliance | 2 August 1914 |
| - | Bulgaria–Germany treaty | 6 September 1915 (secret) 14 October 1915 (public) |
| - | Joined by Finland, Lithuania and Azerbaijan |
1917 |
| - | Dissolved | 1920 |
Leaders of the Central Powers (left to right):
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany;
Kaiser and King Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary;
Sultan Mehmed V of the Ottoman Empire;
Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria.
The Central Powers (German: Mittelmächte; Hungarian: Központi hatalmak; Turkish: İttifak Devletleri or Bağlaşma Devletleri; Bulgarian: Централни сили Tsentralni sili), consisting of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria – hence also known as the Quadruple Alliance (German: Vierbund) was one of the two main factions during World War I (1914–18). It faced and defeated the Allied Powers that had formed around the Triple Entente, after which it was dissolved.
The Powers' origin was the alliance of Germany and Austria-Hungary in 1879. The Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria did not join until after World War I had begun.
Member states
The Central Powers consisted of the German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the beginning of the war. The Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers later in 1914. In 1915, the Kingdom of Bulgaria joined the alliance. The name "Central Powers" is derived from the location of these countries; all four (including the other groups that supported them except for Finland and Lithuania) were located between the Russian Empire in the east and France and the United Kingdom in the west. Finland, Azerbaijan, and Lithuania joined them in 1918 before the war ended and after the Russian Empire collapsed.
Europe in 1914.
The Central Powers were composed of the following nations:
Austria-Hungary 28 July 1914
German Empire 1 August 1914- Ottoman Empire 2 August 1914 (secret)
29 October 1914 (public) - Kingdom of Bulgaria 14 October 1915
