It is not surprising that, of the Central Powers who took part in the First World War, Imperial Germany has received the lion’s share of historical attention. Its armies fought from beginning to end of the conflict on both the Western and Eastern Fronts. Germany dwarfed its allies – the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires and the Kingdom of Bulgaria – in terms of economic and military might. The three lesser powers suffered from major weaknesses in their high command and in industrial production, transport and communications.
These were not natural allies. Bulgaria gained autonomy from Ottoman rule in 1878, becoming formally independent in 1908. Austria-Hungary annexed the Ottoman provinces of Bosnia-Herzegovina in the same year. Then, in the First Balkan War of 1912-1913 (see MHM 141, August/September 2024), a coalition of Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, and Montenegro defeated the Ottoman Empire and seized most of its remaining territory in south-east Europe. A dispute between Bulgaria and a combination of Greece, Serbia, and Romania over the distribution of spoils led to the Second Balkan War in 1913. This ended with Bulgaria losing the land it had gained to its former allies.
The Central Powers joined the First World War at different times, following their individual national interests. Austria-Hungary, Germany’s oldest and closest ally, was involved from the beginning of the war. It was supported by Germany in the dispute with Serbia that precipitated the July 1914 crisis. The Ottoman Empire sided with Germany after initial hesitation, declaring hostilities in November 1914. Bulgaria entered the conflict 11 months later, when it decided that this was its best route to recover territory lost to its Balkan neighbours.
