Feb 19th. Some countries that joined alliances, retreated, or became neutral in World War I. For instance, Italy did not join the alliance until 23 May These alliances happened due to a series of treaties signed by various allied countries.
The main factor that caused these countries to join the alliances and establish treaties was the pursuit of national interests and security. Many countries formed alliances for protection against potential aggression from other countries. Other factors that influenced countries to join alliances included imperialism The ideology of extending a country's power and influence through colonization , nationalism, and economic interests. For example, countries like Japan joined the Allies to pursue their territorial and economic expansion in Asia, while Italy joined the Allies to gain more territory in Africa and to assert itself as a major power.
On the other hand, some countries withdrew from alliances or remained neutral during the war due to a variety of reasons, including lack of political will to go to war, conflicting interests, or the desire to maintain independence and avoid being drawn into conflict. For example, the United States remained neutral in the early years of the war despite pressure from the Allies to join the conflict, due to its commitment to maintaining its independence and its historical tradition of avoiding entanglement in European wars.
One of the most well-known treaties of this period was the Treaty of Sevres. It included terms that were initially agreed to divide Ottoman Empire territories, then the Turkish resistance movement arose after the end of the war as a result of the capitulations of the Ottoman Empire.
The Turkish resistance movement was led by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who was the primary spokesperson and the military leader of the movement. Ataturk rejected the terms introduced in the Treaty of Sevres and made sure for the Lausanne Treaty to take place as a second attempt to reclaim part of the Turkish land which shaped the borders of modern Turkey. This treaty includes terms such as convention on tax issues for sailing ships across Turkish straits and an agreement of all parties allowing Turkey to capitulate countries that were ruled by the Ottoman Empire, renounce sovereignty over Cyprus, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Iraq, and the Levant, except some cities located in Syria, such as Urfa, Adana, Gaziantep, Kells and Marchand.
