Axis and Central Powers

The Axis and Central Powers were two factions of countries that came into alliance and fought against the Allies Nations. The Central Powers faction battled against the Allied Nations during World War I. While the Axis Powers fought against the Allied Nations in the Second World War. Both the Central Powers and the Axis Powers had an expansionist agenda which you can call a commonality within both the groups. But the difference between these two factions is that the faction that battled the Allied Nations was the Central Powers. The one that fought the Allied in World War II was Axis Powers.

Central Powers

The alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and later Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire was called the ‘Central Powers’ by the Allied Nations. The term Central Power is derived from the geographical belonging of Germany and Austria-Hungary, the two countries that were the original members of the wartime alliance. 

In 1914, the Ottoman Empire joined the hands of the Central Powers and Bulgaria joined the alliance as the last member of the faction in October 1915.

The countries in the faction and the rulers felt the threat of attacks from the eastern side by Russia. So, allying was considered a safe move by the ruling powers as they believed that an attack from both sides upon the two nations wouldn’t be possible for Russia.

Not only the geography of these countries gives them the name of the Central Powers but the geographical position also gave the Central Powers a crucial strategic upside over the Allied Nations. 

Moving the war weapons, troops, and essential commodities from one place to another front became easier for the Austro-Hungarians and the Germans. The supplies could be easily mobilized from one front to the other via their local railway transport.

To pick an example from the wartime events, the movement of 10 infantry divisions end route Western front from the Eastern Front through an easy way across Germany was viable. Similarly, the Austro-Hungarians could easily mobilize their Eastern front to the Salonika Front, or the Italian Front. 

Axis Powers

As several nations had grouped themselves into a wartime alliance during World War I, much like that several nations joined into factions in World War II. The two chief factions during the Second World War II were the Axis Powers and the Allied Powers. Today many historians are of the view that it was after the time when the Tripartite pact was agreed upon in the year 1940 when the Axis powers officially conferred upon itself the name. Around this period the ruling powers in the Axis countries and the people within called themselves officially or even officially the Axis. The Allied Powers named a military operation Axis in the year 1943 whose objective was to get the Italian side without arms. The Allied also used this name to refer to their enemies. Even before the war had been declared in 1936, the term Axis was used as Germany and Italy had joined hands into an unofficial pact of friendship.

What is also known as the Rome-German alliance, the agreement of friendship between Germany and Italy happened in 1936. Benito Mussolini, then Italian leader, named the alliance Axis. The Pact of Steel was signed on May 22, 1939, as a result of the German and Italian ambition to form together with a stronger group or alliance. When the defeat of France was seen impending, Italy decided to enter into the Axis. Italy planned to group the Italian troops with full force battling against the British whose retreat from the involvement in European affairs seemed imminent. The Tripartite Pact was signed in 1940 in September and it was joined by Japan. The motive behind this move to enter the agreement was to embolden themselves against America from getting involved in any conflict while there was the presence of the Axis Powers. The motive behind the agreement was well served till 1941 when Pearl Harbour was invaded by Japan and after that, the US too announced war against Japan. Four days after the Pearl Harbour attack, Italy and Germany too declared war upon the US.

Difference between Axis Powers and the Central Powers

1. The Central Powers was an active alliance throughout World War I and it was dissolved after the end of the war in 1918. While the Axis Powers were active in World War II (1939-45).
2. The members of the alliance Central Powers were Imperial Germany, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Bulgaria and in 1915, the Ottoman Empire. The member countries of the Axis Powers were Nazi Germany under Hitler, Fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini, and Imperial Japan under Hirohito.
3. The Central Powers were led by King Franz-Joseph of the Hungarian Empire, Sultan Mehmed of the Ottoman Empire and Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria. 
4. While the Axis camp was led by the German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler, the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and the Emperor Hirohito of Imperial Japan who is also called Emperor Showa and the military affairs of Japan were led by General Tojo Hideki.
5. Keeping into consideration the imperialist objectives, the ruling powers in the alliance of Central Powers were all monarchies. While the ruling powers in the group Axis Powers were dictators except Imperial Japan under Hirohito.
6. Protecting their regional hegemony and advancing their interest against Britain and France who were the other European powers was the agenda of the Central Powers while the Axis Powers were ambitiously expanding their countries at the expense of the neighbouring countries and keeping out communism from the areas under their control.
7. The GDP of the alliance Central Powers stood at $383.9 billion at the beginning of the war in 1914. The GDP of the Axis camp at the peak of the war in 1941 was $911 billion.

Conclusion

Both the Central Powers and the Axis Powers fought with the Allied Nations in consecutive world wars. But there are many differences between both the camps and it’s important to consider them as questions have been put from these sections in competitive exams.