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The Central Powers of World War I

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World War I took place between 1914 and 1918. It was a fight between the Central Powers and the Allies. The Allies included America, Britain, France, and Russia. The Central Powers were Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire, which is now considered Turkey. The United States was involved in the war for a short period of time; it entered the war very late. There was a deadlock between the Allies and Central Powers, but Germany knew that they were going to lose the war because of the United States entering; they wanted to seek an armistice. The Allied Powers ended up winning, and forced Germany to agree to the harsh terms in the armistice they had written up. The United States faced many challenges and trouble in its own country after the war. Towards the end of the war, troop movements contributed to a worldwide influenza epidemic. The disease took more than 500,000 lives alone in the United States alone in 1918 and 1919. The epidemic even killed a larger amount of people worldwide than the amount of people that had died in the war. The epidemic arose in two stages. The first phase, identified as the "three-day fever," appeared without warning in the late spring of 1918. Few deaths were reported. Victims recovered after a few days. When the disease surfaced again that fall, it was far more severe. Scientists, doctors, and health officials could not pinpoint this plague which was striking so viciously and fast, evading treatment and resisting control.

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