The Battle of Grand Gulf was fought on April 29, 1863, during th: Britain was one of the principal Allies that defeated the Central Powers in the First World War (1914–1918). Alongside their French, Russian and (after 1917) American counterparts,[86] British armed forces were engaged across much of the British Empire and in several regions of Europe, particularly on the Western Front.[87] The high fatalities of trench warfare caused the loss of much of a generation of men, with lasting social effects in the nation and a great disruption in the social order. Britain had suffered 2.5 million casualties and finished the war with a huge national debt.[87] The consequences of the war persuaded the government to expand the right to vote in national and local elections with the Representation of the People Act 1918.[87] After the war, Britain became a permanent member of the Executive Council of the League of Nations and received a mandate over a number of former German and Ottoman colonies. Under the leadership of David Lloyd George, the British Empire reached its greatest extent, covering a fifth of the world's land surface and a quarter of its population.[88]