You Can't Follow the Sides Without a Scorecard Quiz

Answer: Central Powers

The immediate cause of World War I came from the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian national. In response to this, Austria-Hungary set a number of conditions higher than Serbia would meet. Due to a number of pre-existing alliances between nations, by August 1914, a number of nations were at war including Austria-Hungary on the side of the Central Powers (so named because of their relatively central position on the European continent).

Answer: Central Powers

Bulgaria entered World War I later than many other nations. It joined the war on the side of the Central Powers in October 1915. For Bulgaria, the World War was really a continuation of the Balkan Wars of a few years previous. Bulgaria signed an armistice and left active involvement in September 1918.

Answer: Allied Powers

France came into World War I as an ally of Russia.When Russia declared war on Austria Hungary and Germany declared war on Russia, France, coming to the aid of its ally, declared war on Germany. In part it was a response to Prussia (part of Germany) having fought France in the 1870s. France was one of the Allied Powers.

Answer: Central Powers

Germany came into World War I by granting a "blank check" to Austria-Hungary. This perhaps embolden Austria-Hungary when making demands of Serbia. Germany was one of the Central Powers and remained an active participants until November 11, 1918 (Armistice Day), when an Armistice was signed with the Allied Nations.

Answer: Allied Powers

Before the war, Italy was one of the nations in the Triple Alliance along with Germany and Austria-Germany. When World War I began, however, Italy was initially neutral. As the war went on, however, Italy entered the war on the side of the Allies in 1915.

Answer: Neutral

The Netherlands was a Neutral Power, a position it had held since the 19th century. This represented the official position of the nation. Privately, there were government official who preferred either side. At the end of the war, the German Kaiser, who had abdicated, fled into Dutch territory where he lived for the rest of his life.

Answer: Central Powers

During the war, the Ottoman Empire was one of the Central Powers. The Empire had previously been influenced by previous conflicts in the Balkans. Already known as "the sick man of Europe", the Empire broke up not long after World War I began.

Answer: Allied Powers

Before the war, Russia was in the Triple Entente with France and the United Kingdom. During the war, this transitioned to Russia being one of the Allied Powers. Late in the war, Russia exited the war shortly after the Russian Revolution and establishment of a Communist government.

Answer: Neutral

During World War I, Spain was a neutral power. Perhaps Spain is best known for the Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918. Although many other nations had their own epidemics, Spain as a neutral nation did not have the wartime censorship that many other nations had.

Answer: Neutral

Though there was some unofficial support for Germany, Sweden was officially a Neutral Power during World War I. In the early days of the war, Sweden continued to trade with both sides. After the war, Sweden would eventually join the League of Nations.

Answer: Neutral

Switzerland officially was in a state of armed neutrality during World War I. That and its mountainous terrain helped to keep Switzerland out of the war. Though the population unofficially divided based on language/nationality, officially Switzerland was a Neutral Nation.

Answer: Allied Powers

The United Kingdom was one of the nations in the Triple Entente before World War I. Once the war began, the United Kingdom was one of the nations in the Allied Powers. After the war, the United Kingdom was one of the "Big Three" nations (along with France and the United States) to create the Treaty of Versailles.