Why is the 7 years' war not considered the first 'world war'
Why is the 7 years' war not considered the first 'world war'
during the 7 year war there was fighting on all inhabited continents except Australia/Oceania, and numerous countries were involved. why is this not considered a world war in the same way as WWI or WWII?
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Sid Guttridge
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Re: Why is the 7 years' war not considered the first 'world war'
Hi David27,
It widely is. There is even a book on it called, I think, "The Global War".
Sequential numbering of wars probably became "a thing" in the UK when it fought 70 wars in the 63 years of Queen Victoria's reign, often return matches against repeat opponents - the ironically called "Pax Britannica",
As a result, Britain rather unimaginatively fought the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Kaffir Wars in South Africa in the 19th Century.
WWI began by being called "The Great War" (or "The Late Unpleasantness" as some understating, inter-war Britons called it.) I guess because WWII came along so soon in its wake, it advanced the adoption of a numbering system for global conflict.
However, by then the Napoleonic Wars, Seven Years War and War of Spanish Succession, which also had global dimensions, were already too long in the public consciousness to change. And were the USA going to give up their War of Independence in favour of WW3.0? Heck, they even call the Seven Years War something else - The French and Indian War!
After WWII the British came up with a cunning plan to avoid having to number their wars - they simply called them something else - Palestine, Malaya, Cyprus and Aden had an "Emergency" each, Kenya the "Mau Mau", Suez a "Crisis", Indonesia a "Confrontation", Northern Ireland some "Troubles", the Falklands a "Conflict", etc., etc.. As a result, the present Queen's reign has been far less marred by "wars" than it might otherwise have been!
However, to muddy the waters further, the British also had a series of three "Cod Wars" in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s with Iceland that involved no fighting or deaths on either side - just the occasional collision and a certain amount of consequential bad language and panel beating!
Basically, if you want to order your wars rationally, don't share them with the British. Go fight your own!
Cheers,
Sid.
It widely is. There is even a book on it called, I think, "The Global War".
Sequential numbering of wars probably became "a thing" in the UK when it fought 70 wars in the 63 years of Queen Victoria's reign, often return matches against repeat opponents - the ironically called "Pax Britannica",
As a result, Britain rather unimaginatively fought the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Kaffir Wars in South Africa in the 19th Century.
WWI began by being called "The Great War" (or "The Late Unpleasantness" as some understating, inter-war Britons called it.) I guess because WWII came along so soon in its wake, it advanced the adoption of a numbering system for global conflict.
However, by then the Napoleonic Wars, Seven Years War and War of Spanish Succession, which also had global dimensions, were already too long in the public consciousness to change. And were the USA going to give up their War of Independence in favour of WW3.0? Heck, they even call the Seven Years War something else - The French and Indian War!
After WWII the British came up with a cunning plan to avoid having to number their wars - they simply called them something else - Palestine, Malaya, Cyprus and Aden had an "Emergency" each, Kenya the "Mau Mau", Suez a "Crisis", Indonesia a "Confrontation", Northern Ireland some "Troubles", the Falklands a "Conflict", etc., etc.. As a result, the present Queen's reign has been far less marred by "wars" than it might otherwise have been!
However, to muddy the waters further, the British also had a series of three "Cod Wars" in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s with Iceland that involved no fighting or deaths on either side - just the occasional collision and a certain amount of consequential bad language and panel beating!
Basically, if you want to order your wars rationally, don't share them with the British. Go fight your own!
Cheers,
Sid.
Re: Why is the 7 years' war not considered the first 'world war'
Many of the conflicts between the European maritime powers tended to spread to colonies in America and Asia. Arguably the first was the nine years war 1688–1697. Fighting stretched across Europe and into North America, the Caribbean and India