The Stage was Set

With war finally declared, a number of countries allied themselves to both sides. Support for Germany came from Austria-Hungary and later Turkey and Bulgaria. On the Allied side, a large number of countries joined because of the British Empire. England, France, Russia, Serbia, Luxembourg, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, India and Australia made up the initial forces that opposed Germany. Later in 1917, the United States joined the Allies.

When mobilization finally was completed by all the warring nations, over 400 divisions, about 6,500,000 men were ready to fight on land. In addition, another half million men were in the various navies of the world. The war also brought over one billion people in the various countries into the war. It truly became a world war.

It should be noted that the war, in its early stages, was welcomed by the bulk of the people. The announcement of war was met with cheering, singing and massive parades. This popular support helped push politicians to tough actions rather than attempt to defuse situations. Patriotic young men in all countries felt that a sense of adventure was on the horizon, and they wanted to get into the fight before it was over.

The great adventure would soon turn out to be a horrible slaughter.