Declarations of war during World War I

A declaration of war is a formal act by which one nation goes to war against another. A declaration is usually an act of delivering a performative speech (not to be confused with a mere speech) or the presentation of a signed document by an authorized party of a national government in order to create a state of war between two or more sovereign states. In the context of World War I, the official international protocol for declaring war was defined in the Hague Convention of 1907 (or Hague II).[1] For the diplomatic maneuvering behind these events, which led to hostilities between nations, see Diplomatic history of World War I.

List of war declarations edit

Below is a table showing the outbreaks of wars between nations which occurred during World War I. Indicated are the dates (during the immediate build-up to, or during the course of, World War I) from which a de facto state of war existed between nations. The table shows both the initiator states and the state at which the declaration of war was aimed. Events listed include those in which there were a simple diplomatic breaking of relations that did not involve any physical attack, as well as those involving overt declarations or acts of aggression.

Date[2][3][4] Initiator states Targeted states
July 28, 1914   Austria-Hungary   Serbia
August 1, 1914   German Empire   Russian Empire
August 3, 1914   Belgium
  France
August 4, 1914   British Empire   German Empire
August 5, 1914   Montenegro   Austria-Hungary
August 6, 1914   Austria-Hungary   Russian Empire
  Serbia   German Empire
August 8, 1914   Montenegro
August 12, 1914   British Empire   Austria-Hungary
  France
August 23, 1914   Japan   German Empire
August 25, 1914   Austria-Hungary
August 28, 1914   Austria-Hungary   Belgium
November 1, 1914   Russian Empire   Ottoman Empire
November 5, 1914   France
  British Empire
November 11, 1914   Ottoman Empire   Russian Empire
  Japan
  British Empire
December 2, 1914   Serbia   Ottoman Empire
December 3, 1914   Montenegro
December 5, 1914   Japan
May 23, 1915   Italy   Austria-Hungary
August 21, 1915   Ottoman Empire
August 28, 1915   German Empire
October 14, 1915   Bulgaria   Serbia
October 15, 1915   Britain   Bulgaria
  Montenegro
October 16, 1915   Japan
  France
October 19, 1915   Italy
  Russian Empire
March 9, 1916   German Empire   Portugal
March 15, 1916   Austria-Hungary
August 28, 1916   Romania   Austria-Hungary
  German Empire   Romania
August 30, 1916   Ottoman Empire
September 1, 1916   Bulgaria
April 6, 1917   United States   German Empire
April 7, 1917   Panama
  Cuba
June 27, 1917   Greece   Austria-Hungary
  German Empire
  Bulgaria
  Ottoman Empire
July 22, 1917   Siam   Austria-Hungary
July 22, 1917   German Empire
August 4, 1917   Liberia
August 14, 1917   China   Austria-Hungary
August 14, 1917   German Empire
October 26, 1917   Brazil
December 7, 1917   United States   Austria-Hungary
December 10, 1917   Panama
April 23, 1918   Guatemala   German Empire
May 6, 1918   Nicaragua   Austria-Hungary
May 6, 1918   German Empire
May 23, 1918   Costa Rica
July 12, 1918   Haiti
July 19, 1918   Honduras

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ On the Opening of Hostilities; 1907; Yale Law School Library; retrieved March 2014.
  2. ^ "World War: Declarations of War from Around the World". Library of Congress.
  3. ^ "Who Declared War and When". Firstworldwar.com.
  4. ^ Ian F.W. Becket, The Great War, second edition, Pearson Education Ltd., 2007, ISBN 978-1-4058-1252-8