In brief, how did each combatant nation experience the war?
Allies who fought from the start: France, Russia, British Empire (Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa) Central Powers who fought from the start: Germany, Austro-Hungarian Empire Countries who later joined the Allies: Japan, Italy, Portugal, Romania, The United States Countries who later joined the Central Powers: The Ottoman Empire (Turkey), Bulgaria Many colonies. France: Pre-1914, France was allied to Russia, and had an informal “understanding” with the British Empire. France had lost 2 eastern provinces, Alsace and Lorraine, to Germany in 1870, and many in France were strongly motivated to recover the lost territories. France was invaded by Germany in August 1914. While it managed to stop the Germans short of Paris, do the majority of fighting on the Western Front and remain in the war for the entire duration, it suffered horrendous casualties: as a fraction of its population, more than any country except Serbia. The almost static trench line that last
