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As suggested by User:Aemilius Adolphin, I have decided to open a new discussion regarding which leaders (if any) should be included in the infobox for World War I. Based on my review of this Talk Page's archives as well as my correspondence with said editor, prior discussions regarding this issue have not arrived at an ironclad consensus and the present status-quo was a stop-gap solution. Using the current list of leaders over on World War II as a frame of reference, I propose that this page should at least feature a list of "main leaders" for each side. Granted, unlike WW II where the head honchos for each side are more or less clear-cut and have long been set in stone by an established historical consensus, I concede that the issue of leadership in World War I is a significantly murkier issue. Nonetheless, I think that a good starting point for inclusion in such a list would be the de jure leaders of each respective country (i.e. those who held the highest legal if not de fact authority over their nation's armed forces). Here are the figures I had in mind for inclusion in said list.
An infobox should be reasonably short, the present situation linking to two fairly large list of political and military leaders is in my opinion the best option to create a neutral, balanced overview. The Bannertalk23:56, 12 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I quote from the link you provided. "...[J]ust because an argument appears in this list does not necessarily mean it is always invalid. ¶ Remember that a discussion rationale which arguably could be classified as an 'argument to avoid', may still contain the germ of a valid point."Emiya1980 (talk) 00:19, 13 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
In the final analysis, the issue of what should be included in an infobox, and indeed whether there should be an infobox at all, is a matter of the consensus of editors in each article. As you correctly note, the major leaders for WWII are more clear cut but that doesn't stop occasional arguments on the matter on that page. My view is that the WWI article is poor and needs a major rewrite. it would be better if the focus of interested editors was on improving the body of the article rather than tangential debates over matters of opinion regarding the infobox. Nevertheless, you are perfectly entitled to raise the issue on the talk page and I believe you are trying to improve the article in good faith. I suggest we now sit back and let others interested in the issue express their views. Aemilius Adolphin (talk) 01:14, 13 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Your argument is more or less: they do it elsewhere, so why not here. Not a real content based argument. And beside that: what is a leader? Every officer is trained to lead his men into battle. Are they all worth mentioning? Even with the generals among them I have severe doubt.
But back to the content, the leadership is fuzzy and proved to be contentious in the past. Kings/presidents, heads of governments, ministers of war/army/navy/air force (irrespective of their actual titles) all might get a place in that list. And then the military leaders are just as fuzzy. Staff roles? Battlefield commands? Military leaders commanding a division or only bigger units? The list would be sheer endless. Who deserves a place in the infobox? Or is the present list the best option? I think the list is the very best option. The Bannertalk13:36, 13 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
As I indicated in my original post, I think we should limit the infobox to de jure leaders of warring countries as a starting point and then reserve judgment on which commanders to include until further discussion. A message can be placed in the infobox notifying other editors of this should they try to change it before such discussions are concluded.Emiya1980 (talk) 23:48, 13 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Per the template doc, we limit this to about seven a side. Per MOS:INFOBOXPURPOSE, entries need to be supported by the body of the article. The previous discussions lead to the current solution since, unlike WW2, WW1 is all a bit fuzzy. Cinderella157 (talk) 02:52, 15 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
From your POV, what would constitute sufficient evidence in the article's body to merit a particular figure's inclusion in the infobox's "Commanders and Leaders" section? Is it sufficient for the figure to be merely mentioned within the article or must the article corroborate that he was the driving force behind his nation's policies? Emiya1980 (talk) 03:30, 15 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
The guideline doesn't elaborate what constitutes "sufficient support" within an article to merit a figure's inclusion in the infobox's "Commanders and Leaders" section. So yes, one's POV does play a role in making that determination. Emiya1980 (talk) 21:35, 15 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
From the template doc, the parameter is for key or significant commanders/leaders. Their inclusion must be supported by the body of the article and evidence how/why they were key or significant - ie it requires more than just a passing mention. The second bar is the number to be included - a maximum of about seven. I would note that ten (almost half as much again) is not "about seven". In other articles, I have used the number of mentions in the article as a measure of how the article evidences that they were key or significant. However, in this case, I am not certain it would produce a solution that is better than what we have now. Cinderella157 (talk) 00:24, 16 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
@Cinderella157: If I were to add content to the article clearly indicating who was in power within each participating country at the time of the war's outbreak, would you be willing to allow such leaders' inclusion within the infobox? Emiya1980 (talk) 01:16, 16 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Please note that Template:Infobox military conflict specifically states: Information in the infobox should not be "controversial". Refer the reader to an appropriate section in the article or leave the parameter blank rather than make an unsubstantiated or doubtful claim. That is exactly what the present infobox does. I see absolutely no reason to add controversial information to the infobox, in this case the potential claim what constitutes a leader. The Bannertalk08:19, 16 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
There is consensus that due to the fuzzy nature of leadership in WW1, a separate article is better. I still have not heard any content-based arguments to reconsider that consensus. And to be true, I do not see any support for your proposal. The Bannertalk09:18, 16 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
level-3 vital article is rated B-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale.
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The redirect WorldWarI has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2025 September 20 § WorldWarI until a consensus is reached. 1234qwer1234qwer4 14:13, 20 September 2025 (UTC)
This article is currently the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 21 August 2025 and 3 December 2025. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Knicks2025 (article contribs).
Not done: per the above response. Day Creature (talk) 09:28, 27 September 2025 (UTC)