During World War I a number of countries were conquered and controlled. Some of these countries were subsequently given new names and new government leaders loyal to the conquering country. These countries are known as puppet states. Germany and the Ottoman Empire were the two countries with puppet states. The Allies had many more puppet states than all the Central Powers collectively: the United Kingdom had the largest empire in the world.
In addition, several countries captured land in the years leading up to the war, which then became puppet states; those states which are immediately relevant to the war are also included here.
Central Powers
German Empire
The German Empire had a number of puppet states during World War I. All the states were previously under Russian control and had long been of interest to the regime.
CreatedDisestablishedPuppet StateFlagCountry/territoryNotesPolandThe Central Powers' forces occupied Russian Congress Poland in 1915 and in 1916 the German Empire and Austria-Hungary created a Polish Monarchy in order to exploit the occupied territories in an easier way and mobilize the Poles against the Russians (see Polish Legions). In 1918 the state became independent and formed the backbone of the new internationally recognized Second Polish Republic.LithuaniaAfter Russia's defeat and the territorial cessions of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the Germans established a Lithuanian kingdom. However it became an independent republic with Germany's defeat.LatviaIn 1915 the Imperial German forces occupied the Russian Courland Governorate and the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk ended the war in the east, so the local ethnic Baltic Germans established a Duchy under the German crown from that part of Ober Ost, with a common return of civil administration in favor of military. This state was very swiftly merged with the Baltic State Duchy, and German-occupied territories of Russian Empire in Livonia and Estonia, into a multi-ethnic United Baltic Duchy.BelarusUkraineIt was created by a right-wing coup which deposed the Socialist Central Rada.GeorgiaCrimeaLatvia and Estonia
Ottoman Empire
CreatedDisestablishedPuppet StateFlagCountry/territoryNotesKingdom of BulgariaWas a provisional republic which was established by the Turkish minority in Thrace, after the Ottoman Empire lost its lands in this region. It was the product of the Ottoman intelligence agency, Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa, in terms of organizational structure and organizers, and they had remarkably common characteristics with the other Turkish puppet government.6 March, 191730 November, 1922AzerbaijanCaucasus ViceroyaltyWas a provisional republic which was established by the Turkish minority in the Caucasus, after the Ottoman Empire lost its lands in this region. It was the product of the Ottoman intelligence agency, Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa, in terms of organizational structure and organizers, and they had remarkably common characteristics with the other Turkish puppet government.
Allies France CreatedDisestablishedPuppet StateFlagCountry/territoryNotesAlbaniaIt was founded without involvement of the former pro-Entente prime minister Essad Toptani.
Others
These countries were not under the control of the warring parties, but were created during the war. Specific countries were created for individual needs.
CreatedDisestablishedPuppet StateFlagCountry/territoryNotesSoviet RussiaThe state, remotely controlled by Soviet Russia, was founded by Joseph Stalin's close friend Fyodor Artyom in 1918. But the DKRR was disliked by Vladimir Lenin. The capital of the republic was soon overthrown by the Germans again, and after the Soviet Red Army regained control of the territory, the country was dissolved at Lenin's request.
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