Allies
Allies are members of an alliance.
Contents
Wars
The term "the Allies" may also be used in extended senses (e.g. coalition forces of the Napoleonic Wars), notably applied as a label by the victors of the World Wars to themselves, likely in part due to positive associations and propaganda value of the term. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica (2007):
- “The major Allied Powers in World War I were the British Empire, France and the Russian Empire, formally linked by the Treaty of London of Sept. 5, 1914; […] other nations, including the United States after its entry on April 6, 1917—that were arranged against the Central Powers were called ‘Associated Powers’, not Allied Powers; U.S. President Woodrow Wilson emphasized this distinction to preserve America’s free hand […].”
The element of a formal treaty, which is so important in the history of the concept, becomes evident once again. During the First World War, the USA deliberately avoided the responsibilities of a treaty of alliance and remained an “associated power.” This formal terminology underlines the fact that an alliance is based on a formal and binding agreement. By not ratifying a treaty of alliance in the First World War, the USA avoided the duties associated with it.
German definition
- In the German-speaking world, the definition of the word Alliierte (Allies) is only apparently fixed. Most people associate this term with the leading powers in the coalition against Hitler during the Second World War. The word entered the German language far earlier, however, and its meaning changed over time. Particularly during the Cold War, it assumed a new meaning in the Federal Republic and especially West Berlin, as suggested by the very name of the Allied Museum. The 1993 Duden dictionary of the German language defines the term Alliierte as follows: “a) power, partner or confederate belonging to a coalition; b) the coalition of states in the Second World War.“ Viewed from within the history of concepts, the word Alliierte has been used in German for more than 350 years. The term has Latin roots, but only found its way into the German language as a French loan word. In the mid-seventeenth century, the verb “alliieren“ (to ally) and the adjective “alliiert“ (allied) were turned into nouns. Both derive from the French verb “s’allier“ (to ally oneself). For historians, the term “Allied” first became important during the Coalition Wars against Napoleon. In the scholarly literature, the states that joined forces in the various wars are still referred to as “Allies.” The partners signed treaties of alliance against Napoleonic France, and such a treaty of alliance is one defining aspect of the description of the term “Allies.”[1]
