World War
From open-encyclopedia.com - the free encyclopedia.
A world war is a military conflict affecting the majority of the world's countries. World wars usually span multiple continents, and are very bloody and destructive.
The term is usually used to refer to World War 1 (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Both wars involved some degree of participation from most of the world's existing countries, specially through the colonial empires of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, besides the United States and the Russia.
Other wars in earlier periods that saw conflict across the world have been considered world wars by some, including the Seven Years' War (1756–1763; Winston Churchill called it "the first world war" in his A History of the English Speaking Peoples), the French Revolutionary Wars (1792–1802) and the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815).
Since the conclusion of World War 1, called "the war to end all wars," international organizations have been developed to attempt to prevent the outbreak of new wars. The League of Nations was established after World War I, and collapsed with the outbreak of World War II, after which the United Nations was formed.
What is a world war?
The specific qualities that make up a world war are open to debate, however, the following are a reasonable set of criteria:
Alliances
Normally, there are groups of nations on each side in two alliances or distinct groups.
In the American Revolutionary War, the sides were aligned between the United States, France, Spain and the Netherlands against Great Britain and minor German States. The Great War of 1914-1918, the sides were aligned between Japan, China, Brazil, Cuba, United States, British Empire, France, Arabian Empire, Serbia, Montenegro, Luxembourg, Italy, Romania and the Russian Empire against the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia and the Ottoman Empire.
Happened on more than one continent
The Great War of 1914-1918 was fought in China, The Pacific Ocean, Arabia, Africa and the North Atlantic as well as Europe. The Seven Years War was fought in India, and North America as well as Europe. The Second World War of 1931-1945 was fought first in China, and then later in Greenland, Alaska, off the coast of Argentina, and in Africa, Arabia and North America as well as Europe and the Pacific Ocean.
Great numbers of deaths
Some of the early wars may not have the totals of deaths as the last world war did, but compared to the number of people in the world during the early world wars, the numbers were large.
Wars not considered world wars
Some large wars that are not world wars, but do have some of the three elements listed above:
The Cold War
The Cold War, sometimes referred to as World War III, is not a true world war. Alliances were involved, as were multiple continents. However, this did not involve conflict other than through proxy wars such as the Vietnam War and the Afghanistan War. At no point did the Soviet Union and the USA declare war on each other.
The war on terrorism
The war on terrorism, though occasionally referred to as World War IV, bears little resemblance to a true world war. On one side, there is an informal alliance of nations, but the other side is an amorphous collection of individuals and small groups, none of which controls any land area. Further, the number of deaths involved is quite small. The war on terrorism have no battle fronts.
List of world wars
War of the League of Augsburg (1688-1697)
Fought by Palatinate, Bavaria, Brandenburg, Spain, Sweden, United Provinces, and England against France, and to a degree the Ottoman Empire. The war was fought in North America and Europe.
War of the Spanish Succession(1701-1714)
Fought by Great Britain, Spain, German and Italian States against France.
Again this war was fought in Europe and North America.
War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748)
Fought by Prussia, Great Britain Austria, Sardinia, Sweden and the Netherlands against France, Russia, Bavaria, Spain and Saxony.
The war was fought in India and North America as well as Europe.
Seven Years' War (1754-1763)
Fought by Great Britain, Prussia, Portugal and Hanover against France, Sweden, Spain, Austria, Saxony The Netherlands and Russia.
Churchill, in his history, called this the First World War.
Fighting occurred in India, The Philippines, North America, Africa and the Caribbean as well as Europe. This world war was also the first to not start in Europe. It started in the Ohio River Valley in present day United States.
American Revolutionary War (1775-1784)
Fought by Great Britain, Madras, and minor German States against France, Kingdom of Mysore, The Netherlands, Spain, Sardinia and the United States of America.
Fighting occurred in India, The Caribbean, Europe, and North America.
French Revolutionary Wars (1792-1802)
Fought by France and the Batavian Republic against Naples, Austria, Prussia, Great Britain, Sardinia, Portugal, The Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Russian Empire and Ottoman Empire.
This World War was fought in Africa and Europe.
Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815)
Fought by France and the United States (non-allied with France) against the Great Britain, Spain, Austria, the German states of the Holy Roman Empire, Sweden, The Netherlands, Saxony, Prussia, Russian Empire and Piedmont.
The United States of America did not support France at all, but the War of 1812 between it and the United Kingdom is considered part of the fighting of the greater war.
The war was fought in North America, Europe, Africa, South-East Asia, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Indian Ocean.
This war was a series of wars, allied nations came in and out and not all remained for the duration of this world war. Many consider Battle of Waterloo to be the last battle of this war.
World War I (1914-1918)
Fought by China, Japan, Brazil, Cuba, Belgium, Portugal, the British Empire, France, Italy, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Liberia, Montenegro, Nicaragua, Panama, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Siam(Thailand), Greece, Russian Empire, and the United States of America against Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire, Austro-Hungary, and the German Empire.
The war was fought in China, the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Africa, Arabia and Europe.
The British Empire was the common term for Great Britain at this time. The term refers to the colonies it controlled, and the British Dominions - former colonies which were self-governing in most respects but whose foreign policy was controlled by London; Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
World War II (1931-1945)
Fought by Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Great Britain, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Liberia, Luxembourg, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, the Soviet Union, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Syria, Turkey, the United States Uruguay, Venezuela, and Yugoslavia against Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, and Romania. Finland's position was more complicated (see Winter War).
However, only the allied nations of the United States, Great Britain, France, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, China, the Soviet Union, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Poland and India sent troops. The rest of the allied nations provided material and monetary support.
The Second World War was fought in Greenland, Alaska, China, South East Asia, The Pacific Ocean, The Indian Ocean, Arabia, Africa, The South Atlantic, The North Atlantic and Europe.
Note: After the Fascist Italian dictator Mussolini was executed by Italian partisans on 1943, Italy then declared war on Germany.
Also note: Some historians consider the Japanese attack on China in 1931 to be the beginning of World War 2. The traditional start of the war is September 3, 1939.
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