A declaration of war is a formal act by which one nation goes to war against another. A declaration is usually an act of delivering a performative speech (not to be confused with a mere speech) or the presentation of a signed document by an authorized party of a national government in order to create a state of war between two or more sovereign states. In the context of World War I, the official international protocol for declaring war was defined in the Hague Convention of 1907 (or Hague II).On the Opening of Hostilities; 1907; Yale Law School Library; retrieved March 2014. For the diplomatic maneuvering behind these events, which led to hostilities between nations, see Diplomatic history of World War I.
List of war declarations Below is a table showing the outbreaks of wars between nations which occurred during World War I. Indicated are the dates (during the immediate build-up to, or during the course of, World War I) from which a de facto state of war existed between nations. The table shows both the initiator states and the state at which the declaration of war was aimed. Events listed include those in which there were a simple diplomatic breaking of relations that did not involve any physical attack, as well as those involving overt declarations or acts of aggression.
DateIan F.W. Becket, The Great War, second edition, Pearson Education Ltd., 2007, Initiator statesTargeted statesJuly 28, 1914August 1, 1914August 3, 1914August 4, 1914August 4, 1914August 5, 1914August 6, 1914August 8, 1914August 12, 1914August 23, 1914August 25, 1914August 28, 1914November 1, 1914November 5, 1914November 11, 1914December 2, 1914December 3, 1914May 24, 1915August 21, 1915October 14, 1915October 15, 1915October 16, 1915October 19, 1915March 9, 1916March 15, 1916August 27, 1916August 28, 1916August 30, 1916September 1, 1916April 6, 1917April 7, 1917June 27, 1917July 22, 1917July 22, 1917August 4, 1917August 14, 1917August 14, 1917October 26, 1917December 7, 1917December 10, 1917April 23, 1918May 6, 1918May 6, 1918May 23, 1918July 12, 1918July 19, 1918
See also British declaration of war upon Germany (1914) United States declaration of war on Germany (1917) United States declaration of war on Austria-Hungary Declarations of war during World War II
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