mid1910s

The mid-1910s is a historical term for the middle years of the 1910s, roughly 1914 to 1916, with lasting influence through 1917. This period was defined by World War I, a global conflict involving most major powers organized into the Allies and the Central Powers. The war accelerated industrial mobilization, altered political structures, and reshaped economies, societies, and borders across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and beyond.

Key events and campaigns of this era include the outbreak of World War I in 1914 after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, rapid military mobilization, and the emergence of trench warfare on the Western Front. By 1915, attritional fighting and widespread casualties marked major fronts, the Gallipoli Campaign failed to secure a decisive victory for the Allies, and the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers. The Armenian Genocide began in 1915. In 1916, battles such as Verdun and the Somme epitomized the war’s scale and severity, while other theaters—Eastern Front and Middle East—saw shifting fronts and nationalist movements. Advancements in weaponry, including tanks and aircraft, began to redefine combat.

The mid-1910s also saw significant social and political consequences. Wartime economies, rationing, censorship, and propaganda affected civilian life, while women increasingly entered industrial and agricultural work. The period laid groundwork for future upheavals, including the Russian Revolution in 1917, and shifted strategic calculations for both Allies and Central Powers. Although the war continued beyond this window, the mid-1910s established many of the long-term terms of the postwar world and the eventual redrawing of international borders.