Peter Zeller of Charlotte NC, is an avid reader of World War I history. One persistent question surrounding World War One is whether it was truly a world war or a conflict centered in Europe with ancillary participation among other nations. While most battles occurred in Europe, they involved countries with far-reaching colonies and geopolitical agendas shaped by intense competition for global resources and influence.
Resources and weapons production that relied on manufacturing in territories administered by the Great Powers, such as Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, facilitated the war. At the time, Britain maintained the most extensive empire worldwide, with its colonies totaling 412 million in population, only 10 percent of whom were British citizens. Calling on territories for supplies and enlisted troops, England used 1.2 million Indian soldiers, 444,000 soldiers from Oceania, 332,000 soldiers from Canada, and more than 50,000 Nigerian troops and laborers. France requisitioned over 335,000 soldiers from Africa and 50,000 from Vietnam, while Russia relied on troops across Siberia and Central Asia. China provided more than 120,000 laborers to Britain and its allies.
The earliest war battles involved British colonial troops invading German colonies such as Togo, Cameroon, Namibia, and Tanzania. In the latter country, clashes lasted until the end of the war. Germany ultimately surrendered its holdings in China to Japan, a British ally.
In addition, major fighting took place at the Suez Canal. Central Powers sought to place Ottoman Empire troops in the vital naval route but were driven out by Allied forces in the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula. Palestine also witnessed significant fighting in Gaza and Beersheba that ultimately caused Ottoman Empire troops to retreat north to Turkey. It enabled the British to establish strongholds that led to the creation of modern-day Syria and Jordan. In many ways, World War One was a truly international conflict.
