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Home | Overview | Controversies | Timeline | Combatants | Biographies | Glossary | Learn More
Combatant States - Central powers | Austro - Hungary | Germany | Turkey (Ottoman Empire) | Bulgaria
Combatant States - Allies | Serbia | Russia | France | Belgium | United Kingdom | Australia | Canada | India | New Zealand | Rhodesia | Union of South Africa | United States of America| Italy | Romania | Greece | Montenegro | Portugal | Japan
Entered War : 28 July 1914 (Austro-Hungarian declaration of war)
Political system : Serbia became a monarchy in 1882 after gaining independence from Turkey (1878)
Leader : Peter I: sovereign, 1903-21. In 1914, Crown Prince Alexander became regent with executive authority, owing to his father's ill health. Nikola Pasic: prime minister, 1903-26
Population : 4.5 million (1914)
Army : 360,000 men mobilised for service in 1914
Air Force : 15 aircraft (1914)
Recent Diplomacy : Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria and Montenegro formed the Balkan League in 1912 and won a series of victories over Turkey in the First Balkan War. However, Bulgaria was disappointed by its gains from this conflict and declared war on Greece and Serbia in 1913. The Second Balkan War ended when Bulgaria was invaded by Romania. The subsequent peace treaty doubled the size of Serbia and gave Greece control over most of the Aegean coast. Romania also gained territory. Serbia's long-term goal was to expel Austria-Hungary from the Balkans and form a Slav super-state.
Casualties by 1918 : Military losses (dead, wounded and missing) were in the region of 300,000-350,000, but many of these were due to disease. Civilian losses following the flight over the mountains may have exceeded 600,000.