World War 1

We commemorate today the centennial of the end of World War 1, known as Armistice Day, and celebrated annually in the USA as Veteran’s Day. World War I also known as the Great War, which was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. It led to the mobilization of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. An estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilians died as a direct result of the war, while it is also considered a contributory factor in a number of genocides and the 1918 influenza epidemic, which caused between 50 and 100 million deaths worldwide. Military losses were exacerbated by new technological and industrial developments and the tactical stalemate caused by grueling trench warfare. It was one of the deadliest conflicts in history and precipitated major political changes, including the Revolutions of 1917-1923, in which many of the nations were involved. Unresolved rivalries at the end of the conflict contributed to the start of the Second World War about twenty years later.

Among the Allied Powers, (Britain, France, USA, Italy, Russia, Serbia, Belgium, Japan, Romania, China, etc) the Military dead were: 5,525,000. The Military wounded were:12,831,500, and the Civilian dead were: 4,000,000.

Among the Central powers, (German Empire, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria) the Military dead were: 4,386,000. The Military wounded were:8,388,000, and the Civilian dead were: 3,700,000.