Central Powers The Central Powers ( ; ; ; ) were one of the two warring factions in World War I ( 1914 – 18 ) , composed of the German Empire , the Austro - Hungarian Empire , the Ottoman Empire , and the Kingdom of Bulgaria . This alignment originated in the Triple Alliance , and fought against the Allied Powers that had formed around the Triple Entente . Member states . The Central Powers consisted of the German Empire , the Austro - Hungarian Empire , and the Ottoman Empire . In 1915 , the Kingdom of Bulgaria later joined the alliance . The name " Central Powers " is derived from the location of these countries ; all four ( including the other groups that supported them except for Finland and Lithuania ) were located between the Russian Empire in the east and France and the United Kingdom in the west . Finland , Azerbaijan , and Lithuania joined them in 1918 before the war ended and after the Russian Empire collapsed . The Central Powers were composed of the following nations : Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria . Following the outbreak of war in Europe during August 1914 , the Ottoman Empire intervened at the end of October by taking action against Russia , resulting in declarations of war by the Triple Entente . Bulgaria , still resentful after its defeat in July 1913 at the hands of Serbia , Greece , Romania and the Ottoman Empire , was the last nation to enter the war against the Entente , invading Serbia in conjunction with German and Austro - Hungarian forces in October 1915 . Other movements . Other movements supported the efforts of the Central Powers for their own reasons , such as the Irish Nationalists who launched the Easter Rising in Dublin in April 1916 ; they referred to their " gallant allies in Europe " . In 1914 , Józef Piłsudski was permitted by Germany and Austria - Hungary to form independent Polish legions . Piłsudski wanted his legions to help the Central Powers defeat Russia and then side with France and the UK and win the war with them . During the years 1917 and 1918 , the Finns under C . G . E . Mannerheim and Lithuanian nationalists fought Russia for a common cause . With the Soviet Russia aggression of late 1917 , the government of Ukraine sought a military protection first from the Central powers and later from the armed forces of the Entente . The Ottoman Empire also had its own allies in Azerbaijan and the Northern Caucasus . The three nations fought alongside each other under the Army of Islam in the Battle of Baku . Armistice and treaties . Bulgaria signed an armistice with the Allies on 29 September 1918 , following a successful Allied advance in Macedonia . The Ottoman Empire followed suit on 30 October 1918 in the face of British and Arab gains in Palestine and Syria . Austria and Hungary concluded ceasefires separately during the first week of November following the disintegration of the Habsburg Empire and the Italian offensive at Vittorio Veneto ; Germany signed the armistice ending the war on the morning of 11 November 1918 after the Hundred Days Offensive , and a succession of advances by New Zealand , Australian , Canadian , Belgian , British , French and US forces in north - eastern France and Belgium . There was no unified treaty ending the war ; the Central Powers were dealt with in separate treaties .