While Poland did not exist as an independent state during World War I, its geographical position between the fighting powers had meant that much fighting and terrific human and material losses occurred on the Polish lands between 1914 and 1918. When World War I started, Polish territory split during partitions between Austria-Hungary, German Empire and Russian Empire, and became the scene of much of the operations of the Eastern Front of World War I. As an After World War I and the collapse of the Russian, German and Austro-Hungarian Empires, Poland became an independent republic.