Talk:World War I

message: To some extent there is a consistent simplification of leadership in the infobox which is completely necessary, and for this reason I believe the Allied side of the leaders makes sense. I don't share this sentiment for the Central Powers Leaders listed. Like George V who is not on the infobox, Mehmed V was not calling any shots during his reign and was totally out of power, I would instead replace Sultan Reshad with Enver and Talat, they were the key decision makers on the Ottoman side during WWI. I would also advocate putting von Hindenburg, von Bethmann Hollweg, Ludendorff, or von Hotzendorf there as well but I don't have as much confidence to back up this request. I would appreciate input from a Bulgarianist in this discussion to verify whether Tsar Ferdinand was the leader of Bulgaria during the war or if there was a massive power behind his throne. Benlittlewiki (talk) 19:01, 16 April 2024 (UTC)
replies: text: I think we need to clarify the criteria we are using. The heading in the info box is "Commanders and leaders" which sugget a distinction between political leaders and military commanders. However, given the importance of the home front and political aspects of the war, I'm not sure that such a distinction in meaningful. There is a huge historiography on the question of "who was really in charge" of Germany alone (and of course the answer often changes over the course of the war). Perhaps we should first settle the issue of who the major allied and central powers were. If we can do this we can then list the nominal head of government and the nominal head of the military for each major power. I suspect that this will be a lengthy process. Aemilius Adolphin (talk) 01:41, 17 April 2024 (UTC)
replies: text: I believe the current list of Allied and Central powers is sound. I am sympathetic to adding Serbia and/or Belgium to the infobox, but I would also like to hear arguments against this. Benlittlewiki (talk) 23:48, 21 April 2024 (UTC)

text: After a week there hasn't been any more input. Since no one objects to not adding Talaat to the infobox, I'm thinking of going through with this edit soon. To answer a likely FAQ, Djemal Pasha was not a key decision maker like Talaat and Enver were, and was principally a soldier on the Syrian front. He had a lot of political authority in that sector, but he did not have national decision making power. Talaat was Interior Minister, CUP leader, and then Prime Minister; he was basically running the civilian government, it doesn't make sense to exclude him from the infobox. German, Austrian, Hungarian, and Bulgarianists should do a similar inspection of the infobox. Benlittlewiki (talk) 21:04, 2 May 2024 (UTC)
replies: text: You appear to have missed the implications of what I said. Enver is at least supported by on mention in the body of the article. Wheter such a passing mention is sufficient to place them in the infobox is another issue. Cinderella157 (talk) 21:27, 2 May 2024 (UTC)
replies: text: If that's the case I can add some information of the dynamics within the Ottoman Empire's government to the article. This said, given this criteria Vittorio  Orlando, Poincaré, Franz Joseph I (who is mentioned not as a war leader but in the context of the July Crisis), and Yoshihito should never have been listed in the info box either, given that they are never mentioned in the article. Benlittlewiki (talk) 22:06, 2 May 2024 (UTC)

text: I agree that other commanders/leaders not supported by the article or with a minor passing mention should be removed. Cinderella157 (talk) 00:32, 4 May 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Request to review Central Powers leaders of infobox 

message: It says "In 1911, the Russian Stavka agreed with the French to attack Germany within fifteen days of mobilisation...". Isn't it 1914 and not 1911? Frogeater1 (talk) 16:53, 26 April 2024 (UTC)
replies: text: Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. GrayStorm(Talk|Contributions) 17:13, 26 April 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Potentially wrong year 

message: @Benlittlewiki If you wish to add more information about the Ottoman Empire please ensure that your contributions are properly sourced and do not just represent your own interpretation of events. It might be better if you discuss your proposed additions in Talk and seek consensus before adding them to the article. Aemilius Adolphin (talk) 22:37, 9 May 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Ottomans and WWI 

message: Although Japan did occupy Germany’s colonies, It did not further fight Germany or the Central Powers, And was not in the Triple Entente either. I would request an edit to fix that problem, have a nice day! ;) DogeofWisdom69 (talk) 18:55, 15 May 2024 (UTC)
replies: text: Incorrect - Japan sent destroyers to the Mediterranean for anti-submarine duties in 1917 - see Japan during World War I#Events of 1917.Nigel Ish (talk) 19:13, 15 May 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  A Small Misunderstanding  

message: I would like to propose the following addition to the article's lead paragraph on the results of the conflict. It would highlight the new middle eastern order dominated by France and Britain in place of the Ottoman Empire and the end of the Islamic Caliphate, both very important historical developments unmentioned in the current lead. This edit would also help move the lead to be less eurocentric. I would like to establish a consensus first before going through an edit. The following paragraph is the current lead paragraph of the result of WWI, and the paragraph after my suggestion.
>The fighting ended with the Armistice of 11 November 1918, while the subsequent Paris Peace Conference imposed various settlements on the defeated powers, notably the Treaty of Versailles. The dissolution of the Russian, German, Austro-Hungarian, and Ottoman Empires resulted in the creation of new independent states, including Poland, Finland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia. The inability to manage post-war instability contributed to the outbreak of World War II in September 1939.
>The fighting ended with the Armistice of 11 November 1918, while the subsequent Paris Peace Conference imposed various settlements on the defeated powers, notably the Treaty of Versailles. The dissolution of the Russian, German, and Austro-Hungarian Empires resulted in the creation of new independent states in Central and Eastern Europe based on the principle of national self-determination, including Poland, Finland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia. In the Middle East, the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire resulted in a new Middle Eastern order dominated by Britain and France, as well as the end of the Islamic Caliphate. The inability to manage post-war instability contributed to the outbreak of World War II in September 1939. Benlittlewiki (talk) 20:30, 18 May 2024 (UTC)
replies: text: Hmmmm, this suggest that the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire led to instability causing WW2. I do not think this would be an improvement. The Banner talk 16:05, 21 May 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Lead suggestion re: middle east