What about the other guys?

[laglaeske]

You know how the history section was about how we (Canadians) contributed to the war effort on the Western front against Germany.

What about Austria-Hungary & Turkey? What was going on on the Eastern front? Did Russia fully mobilize @ attack Austria-Hungary? & how exactly did the Ottoman Empire get involved in the War anyway? They almost had nothing to do with the power struggle or the alliances in Europe.

[Mr. Delainey]

Russia did mobilize and had its head handed to it at the Battle of Tannenberg.

Austria-Hungary fought France on the Western Front and eventually fought Italy on the southern front. Turkey and Russia fought in the Caucasus area I believe; and there were conflicts between Turkey and Russia on the Black Sea. Also, the British attempted hitting Turkey at Galipoli if I recall.

Turkey's involvement is an interesting thing to look at. There are a few reasons why Turkey got involved:

Firstly, Turkey's economy was dominated by Germany. The Germans bankrolled a number of large infrastructure projects throughout the Ottoman Empire, i.e. Berlin-Baghdad Railway.

Secondly, Germany translated its economic power/influence over Turkey into political influence. The Germans pressured Turkey to enter on the side of Germany due to debts and other such obligations.

Thirdly, the leadership of Turkey was weak. The empire wasn't called the "Sick Man of Europe" for nothing. The empire was a throwback to a bygone age that had virtually no centralized organization. Consequently, this empire was vulnerable to being pressed into the service of the Triple Alliance.