AMERICA COMPARED |  |
The Human Cost of World War I
The United States played a crucial role in financing World War I. In its war-related expenditures, totaling $22.6 billion, the United States ranked fourth among all nations that participated, ranking behind only Germany ($37.7 billion), Britain ($35.3 billion), and France ($24.3 billion). In human terms, however, the U.S. role was different. Note that the figures below for military casualties are rough estimates. Civilian casualties are even more uncertain: the exact number of Russians, Italians, Romanians, Serbians, and others who died will never be known.
| World War I Casualties | |||
| Country | Total Population | Military Killed or Missing |
Total Civilian Deaths |
| Germany | 67,000,000 | 2,037,000 | 700,000 |
| Russia | 167,000,000 | 1,800,000 | 2,000,000 |
| France | 39,000,000 | 1,385,300 | 40,000 |
| Austria-Hungary | 49,900,000 | 1,016,200 | unknown |
| United Kingdom | 46,400,000 | 702,410 | 1,386 |
| Italy | 35,000,000 | 462,400 | unknown |
| Turkey | 21,300,000 | 236,000 | 2,000,000* |
| Romania | 7,510,000 | 219,800 | 265,000–500,000 |
| Serbia | 5,000,000 | 127,500 | 600,000 |
| Bulgaria | 5,500,000 | 77,450 | 275,000 |
| India | 316,000,000 | 62,060 | negligible |
| Canada | 7,400,000 | 58,990 | negligible |
| Australia | 4,872,000 | 53,560 | negligible |
| United States | 92,000,000 | 51,822 | negligible |
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* Mostly Armenians |
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QUESTIONS FOR ANALYSIS
Question
What does this data suggest about the comparative role of the United States in World War I? The experience of its soldiers? The war’s impact on civilians in each nation?
Question
Which other countries made contributions similar to that of the United States, and why?