World War I (or the First World War, often abbreviated as WWI or WW1) was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously known as the Great War or "the war to end all wars",[7] it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history.[8][9] It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history,[10] with an estimated 8.5 million combatant deaths and 13 million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war,[11] while resulting genocides and the related 1918 Spanish flu pandemic caused another 17–100 million deaths worldwide,[12][13] including an estimated 2.64 million Spanish flu deaths in Europe and as many as 675,000 Spanish flu deaths in the United States.[14]
World War I
Clockwise from the top:
The road to Bapaume in the aftermath of the Battle of the Somme, 1916
British Mark V tanks crossing the Hindenburg Line, 1918
HMS Irresistible sinking after hitting a mine in the Dardanelles, 1915
A British Vickers machine gun crew wearing gas masks during the Battle of the Somme, 1916
German Albatros D.III biplane fighters near Douai, France, 1917
Date28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918
(4 years, 3 months and 2 weeks)
Peace treaties
Treaty of Versailles
Signed 28 June 1919
(4 years and 11 months)[b]
Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Signed 10 September 1919
(5 years, 1 month, 1 week and 6 days)
Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine
Signed 27 November 1919
(4 years, 1 month, 1 week and 6 days)[c]
Treaty of Trianon
Signed 4 June 1920
(5 years, 10 months and 1 week)
Treaty of Sèvres
Signed 10 August 1920
(6 years, 1 week and 6 days)[d]
United States–Austria Peace Treaty
Signed 24 August 1921
(3 years, 8 months, 2 weeks and 3 days)[e][f]
United States–Germany Peace Treaty
Signed 25 August 1921
(4 years, 4 months, 2 weeks and 5 days)[g]
United States–Hungary Peace Treaty
Signed 29 August 1921
(3 years, 8 months, 3 weeks and 1 day)[h]
Treaty of Lausanne
Signed 24 July 1923
(8 years, 8 months, 3 weeks and 4 days)[i]
Location
Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Pacific Islands, China, Indian Ocean, North and South Atlantic Ocean
Result
Allied victory
Central Powers victory on the Eastern Front nullified by defeat on the Western Front
Fall of all continental empires in Europe (including Germany, Russia, Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary)
Russian Revolution and Russian Civil War, with the collapse of the Russian Empire and the subsequent formation of the Soviet Union
Widespread unrest and revolutions throughout Europe and Asia
Creation of the League of Nations (more ...)
Territorial
changes
Formation of new countries in Europe and the Middle East
Transfer of German colonies and territories, Partitioning the former Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary and the Russian Empire, transfer of territories to other countries
