The First World War completely changed the world. The post-war division of the world caused a significant weakening or collapse of the strongest empires, all trade relations were disrupted, the development of national capitalism and the anti-war movements of workers accelerated. And in Russia, active hostilities on the world stage coincided with the fall of the monarchy and the establishment of Bolshevik power.
But the results of the World War were not only geopolitical and economic. The fighting directly or indirectly affected the majority of the civilian population of the participating countries, destroyed families, displaced many families, made he althy men disabled, women unfortunate widows, and children orphans. Losses in the First World War were incomparable with the victims of conflicts that occurred earlier.
Parties to the conflict
The murder of ex-Duke Franz Ferdinand by the Serbian terrorist Gavrila was the trigger for the start of the First World Warprinciple. How did it happen that it was this crime that a few years later became the reason for counting how many people died in the First World War? In fact, the war could have started ten years before this event.
Germany has long felt left out under the colonial division of the world. The state tried to unite with Great Britain against France, then with France against Great Britain, but the British leadership had good relations with the French, and Russia was in the sphere of France's interests. Germany had no choice but to conclude an alliance with the Ottoman Empire, Italy and Austria-Hungary.
After the incident with Morocco, nationalist sentiments swept across Europe. All countries have been building up their military potential for several years. All that was needed was a pretext for the war machine to come into action. It was this occasion that the Serbian student Gavrilo Princip gave.
The first war against Serbia was declared by Austria-Hungary, a few days later Germany made the same attack on Russia, France and Belgium. Great Britain declared war on Germany, Montenegro on Austria-Hungary, Austria-Hungary on Russia. The events of the First World War (table - see below) began to develop rapidly.
Two camps of opponents were formed even before the start of active hostilities. Russia took the side of the Entente. The union also included France, the USA (only in 1917-1918), Serbia, Great Britain and the dominions, Italy (since 1915). The opponents were the Central Powers (they were also calledTriple Alliance, later Quadruple Alliance): Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria (since 1915).
Human Strength
How many people died in World War I? A monstrous number, especially if you do not count the soldiers who were mobilized. In percentage terms, losses look almost the same as in other conflicts. Such a huge number of victims seems only because many more people participated in the war than in previous wars.
The forces of the Entente amounted to more than 45 million soldiers. The population of the member countries of the union at the same time totaled 1.315 million people. For allied countries, mobilization resources (from the number of men of military age or the total population) are:
- Russian Empire mobilized 15.3 million soldiers;
- France - 6.8 million men;
- UK - almost five million males and military age;
- Italy - almost six million men of military age;
- Greece - 353 thousand soldiers;
- USA – 4.7 million soldiers (a little over two million soldiers were sent to Europe);
- Belgium - 500,000 men of military age;
- Romania - 1.2 million people;
- Serbia - more than 700 thousand;
- Portugal - 53 thousand soldiers;
- India (as a dominion of the British Empire) - 1.4 million people;
- Japanese Empire - 30 thousand people;
- Canada - more than 600,000 men of military age;
- Australia - 412 thousand.
How many people died in World War I of them? More than five and a half million people are listed as dead. The table of events of the First World War clearly confirms this.
The forces of the Triple Alliance were represented by almost 26 million people (almost two times less than at the disposal of the Entente). Most of the soldiers were mobilized by the German Empire (13.2 million out of 16 million men of military age), less by Austria-Hungary (9 million out of 12 million males of military age). The Ottoman Empire sent almost three million people out of five and a half to the front. Bulgaria mobilized the fewest soldiers - almost seven hundred thousand out of more than a million men.
Total losses of participants
The archive of those killed in the First World War has ten million names of soldiers from both sides. More than eighteen thousand were wounded, 8.5 million were taken prisoner. Among the civilians killed are almost eleven and a half thousand people. So how many people died in World War I, counting soldiers, officers, and civilians? More than twenty million people lost their lives during the hostilities.
Russia in WWI
Losses in the First World War of the Russian Empire amounted to more than 1.5 million soldiers. All of these people were killed in action or died during the medical evacuation. On average, 12% of the soldiers died, and 17% of the officers who died in the First World War became officers. Almost four million Russian soldiers were wounded, 3.3 million were taken prisoner. Amongover a million civilians have died.
Allied losses
The losses of the Entente together with the Russian Empire amounted to 5.6 million soldiers and almost eight million civilians, a total of almost 13.5 million people. France lost 1.3 million soldiers, Great Britain - 702 thousand, Italy - 462 thousand, Greece - 26.6 thousand, USA - 116 thousand, Belgium - 58.6 thousand, Romania - 219 thousand, Serbia - 127 thousand, Portugal - 7, 2 thousand, British India - 64.4 thousand, the Empire of Japan - 415 people (out of thirty thousand mobilized), Canada - 56.6 thousand.
Losses of Central States
The Triple (Quadruple) Alliance lost 4.4 million soldiers and 3.4 million civilians in the war. In the German Empire, just over two million people were killed, in the Ottoman Empire - 763 thousand, Bulgaria lost 155 thousand, and Austria-Hungary - almost 1.5 million soldiers.
