Widening the war

The Ottoman Empire had already joined the war on Germany’s side in August 1914. After a disastrous campaign at Gallipoli, the Allies were forced to withdraw.

 In the Middle East, a British officer known as Lawrence of Arabia encouraged Arab princes to revolt against their Ottoman rulers. In 1918, British forces from Egypt destroyed the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East.

 Entry of the U.S.A.: At first, the United States tried to remain neutral. The United States finally entered the war as a result of the naval war between Great Britain and Germany. On May 7, 1915, German forces sank the British ship Lusitania. 1,100 civilians were killed, including over 100 Americans. By 1918, large numbers of American troops had arrived in Europe. The entry of the United States in the war boosted the Allies psychologically and gave them a new source of money and supplies.

New York Times. Lusitania Sunk. 1915

 On March 3, 1918, Lenin signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the Russian Revolution led to Russia’s withdrawal from the War.  Between 1914 and 1916, two million Russian soldiers   were killed.