World War I - Important Countries and Alliances

TEKS: High School U.S. History
2A identify the major eras in US history from 1877 to the
present and describe their defining characteristics
2B explain the significance of the following years as
turning points: 1914-1918 WWI; 1939-1945 WWII
4C identify the causes of WWI and reasons for U.S. entry

I will be able to identify
important countries
involved in WWI and
alliances made.

Alliances of World War I

The German Army
Central Powers Alliance

Very efficient

Strong military
leaders

11 million soldiers
fought

5 million German
casualties of war

The Austrian-
Hungarian Army
Central Powers Alliance

Favored aggressive
foreign policy

Could mobilize 2.25
million soldiers and
continued to expand,
but had trouble with
loyalty and low morale

The Ottoman Army
Central Powers Alliance

Attacked Russian
ports

Almost 3 million
Ottoman soldiers
fought in the war

The French Army
Triple Entente Alliance
“Allied Forces”

Took heavy losses along
the Western Front

8.7 million French
soldiers fought in the
war

The Russian Army
Triple Entente Alliance
“Allied Forces”

Largest army in the world
at the beginning of WWI
15 million Russian soldiers
fought

Difficult to deploy soldiers
because of lack of
railroads and roads

Focused on the Eastern
Front

The British Army
Triple Entente Alliance
“Allied Forces”

Over 2.5 million British
casualties

The British
Expeditionary Force

Most of the fighting on the
Western Front was in France

How did these countries
build such large armies?

Propaganda

How countries used
cinema and posters to
influence people and
further political agendas

Usually over-dramatizes,
selectively shows
footage, or uses
stereotypes to change
people’s perspectives to
align with the political
agenda of the country’s
leaders

Visit the Smithsonian Online Exhibit to see more
examples of patriotic propaganda used to rally

support for the war effort during WWI