World War

#REDIRECT world war

World War

#REDIRECT Talk:World war

World war

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 I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Both wars involved some degree of participation from most of the world's existing countries, especially through the colonialism of British Empire, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, besides the United States and Russia. There has also been discussion of a so-called World War III, either as a theoretical possibility or science fiction scenario or as referring to an actual event (e.g. the Cold War). 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 I, called the "war to end all wars", international organisations 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. ==Classification as 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 (1754-1763) 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=== A World War is also charictarized by the great number of deaths, often both military and civilian. The Second World War is an extreme example of this: lowest estimates put the death count at forty million, including many Russian or Chinese civilians, and nearly ten million killed in the Holocaust. Although earlier wars do not exhibit such great numbers, seen in the light of the world's population at the time, they were extremely destructive. ==Candidates for the title of "World War"== With the definition of a world war so flexible any list of world wars is somewhat subjective and could include just two wars (World War I and World War II) or as many as eleven. The following briefly outlines potential world wars: ===War of the League of Augsburg (1688–1697)=== The War of the League of Augsburg was 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)=== The War of the Spanish Succession was fought by Great Britain, Spain, German and Italian States against France. This war was fought in Europe and North America. ===War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748)=== The War of the Austrian Succession was 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)=== The Seven Years' War was 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)=== The American Revolutionary War was fought by Great Britain, Madras, and minor German States against France, Kingdom of Mysore, The Netherlands, Spain, Sardinia and the United States of America. ===French Revolutionary Wars (1792–1802)=== The French Revolutionary Wars were 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)=== The Napoleonic Wars were fought by France and the United States (non-allied with France) against 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 the Battle of Waterloo to be the last battle of this war. ===World War I (1914–1918)=== [[Image:Chateau Wood Ypres 1917.jpg|thumb|300px|Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. Battle aftermath. Remains of the Chateau Wood]] The First World War, also known as the Great War, was a world conflict occurring from 1914 to 1918. No previous conflict had mobilized so many soldiers or involved so many in the field of battle. Never before had casualties been so high. Chemical weapons were used for the first time, the first mass bombardment of civilians from the sky was executed, and some of the century's first large-scale genocide took place. Four dynasties, the Habsburgs, the Romanovs, the Ottomans and the Hohenzollerns, who had roots of power back to the days of the Crusades, all fell after the war. World War I proved to be the decisive break with the old New World Order (political), marking the final demise of political absolutism monarchy in Europe. It would prove the catalyst for the Russian Revolution, which would inspire later revolutions in countries as diverse as China and Cuba, and would lay the basis for the Cold War standoff between the Soviet Union and the United States. The defeat of Germany in the war and failure to resolve the unsettled issues that had caused the Great War would lay the basis for the rise of Nazism, and thus the outbreak of World War II in 1939. It also laid the basis for a new form of warfare that relied heavily on technology, and would involve non-combatants in war as never before. World War I became infamous for trench warfare, where huge numbers of troops were confined to trenches and could move little because of tight defenses. This was especially true of the Western Front (WWI). Over 9 million died on the battlefield, and nearly that many more on the home front due to food shortages, genocide, and ground combat. ===World War II (1939–1945)=== [[image:nagasakibomb.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km (60,000 ft) into the air. August 9, 1945]] World War II was a global conflict that started on 7 July 1937 in Asia and 1 September 1939 in Europe and lasted until 1945, involving the majority of the world's states and every inhabited continent. Virtually all countries that participated in World War I were involved in World War II. It was the most extensive and costly war in the history of the World. Attributed in varying degrees to the Treaty of Versailles, the Great Depression, nationalism, and militarism, the Causes of World War II are a matter of debate. On which date the war began is also debated, cited as either the German Polish September Campaign on 1 September 1939, the Japanese invasion of China on 7 July 1937 (the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War), or earlier yet the 1931 Japanese invasion of Manchuria. Still others argue that the World War I are one conflict separated only by a "ceasefire". Fighting occurred across the Second Battle of the Atlantic, in European Theatre of World War II, in the Battle of the Mediterranean, African Theatres of World War II, the Middle East Theatre of World War II, in the Pacific War, and it continued in China. In Europe, the war ended with the surrender of Germany on 8 May 1945 (Victory in Europe Day and Victory Day Days), but continued in Asia until Japanese Instrument of Surrender on 15 August 1945 (V-J Day). Approximately List of World War II casualties by country died as a result of the war, including acts of genocide such as the Holocaust. As a case of total war, it involved the "home front" and Strategic bombing to a new degree. Nuclear weapons, jet aircraft, and RADAR are only a few of many Technology during World War II. ===The Cold War=== The Cold War, a series of conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II, spanned six continents. The principal powers never attacked each other directly but supported opposing proxies in various foreign wars, notably the Korean War, the Second Indochina War, and the Afghan-Soviet War. Some analysts, such as Norman Friedman, have described it as World War III. ===The War on Terror=== The current wars (as of 2005) involving the United States, the United Kingdom, Iraq, and Afghanistan, are the subject of much debate over definition. For practical reasons some consider these to be part of a single larger conflict, the "War on Terror," which is the Third (or Fourth) World War. Others question whether the larger terrorism epidemic can properly be called a "war" at all, and suggest that one or both of the Iraq and Afghani wars are separate from that larger conflict. As long as these conflicts have not reached their conclusion, and as long as their definition continues to be a matter of intense political interest, it is difficult to reach a definitive judgment on how they should be categorized, and whether they belong on the list of World Wars. Types of war nds:Weltorlog simple:World War

World war

Why did you revert to the last edit? Because it's your own personal interpretation. User:RickK 05:35, 2 Nov 2003 (UTC) What's my personal interpretation? There is an article on World War IV. I just want it to be easier to find. OK, it's somebody else's personal interpretation. Well, I'll revert it, but it needs some changes. User:RickK 05:44, 2 Nov 2003 (UTC) "Since the conclusion of World War II, known as "the war to end all wars", the world has generally been united by a common desire never again to have another world war. " Uh.... huh. And which world is this? --User:Cuiusquemodi 20:56, May 18, 2004 (UTC) The Cold War and War on Terrorism are not considered World Wars? By whom?? This section needs deleting, many commentators call the CW WW3 and the WoT WW4 (or WW3 if they dont count the CW). They have a far better claim to world war then the "League of Aubsburg" - CJWilly :Have you read the definition of "World War" used in this article? I'd hardly call a war with casualties in the low thousands a "World War". --User:Carnildo 10:43, 6 Dec 2004 (UTC) The Cold War was global, and had deaths in the millions. Two of the nations involved didn't directly fire at each other- so? It's certainly better qualified than some of the other wars listed. The War on Terror isn't "A World War" or "Not a World War." It hasn't concluded, and can't be defined yet. User:Alakhriveion 22:17, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC) What happened to my article on Global Wars... I didn't say anything about merging the topics... :The article on "Global Wars" and the article on "World Wars" covered the same ground, so I merged the two. "World War" became the introduction of the combined article, while "Global War" became the body. I felt "World War" was the better article title, so I put the article under that title, and made "Global War" a redirect. --User:Carnildo 21:21, 6 Dec 2004 (UTC) == What this article should be == The way I see it is that this article should be, at least when listing the wars, a summary and overview for each conflict. I've created Participants in World War I and Participants in World War II which contain the info I've just taken out of this article - I don't see the need to have the entire participant list here. I've also reordered the wars to most-recent first. User:Violetriga User_talk:violetriga 23:09, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC) =="Wars not considered World Wars"== This section isn't neutral or informative. It states opinions about the Cold War (That it wasn't a World War) as fact, and groundlessly judges the War on Terrorism- it can't be called a World War or not a World War until it's over. Unless someone can see in to the future, I think that's pretty slanted. User:Alakhriveion 18:24, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC) :I've replaced the text. I see what you're saying but think that rewording it would be better - links to those two wars would naturally fit into this page. I'll let you reword as you see fit or, if you don't in the near future, will give it a go myself. Cheers, User:Violetriga User_talk:violetriga 19:15, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC) ::Quite the contrary Alakhriveion, the "War on Terrorism" and the "Cold War" can easily be seen to be non-wars. Not only are they not world wars, they are not even regular wars. The War on Terrorism has no well-defined beginning and I would be interested to see what you would consider "the end" of this supposed war. While a third world war may be the end result of what we Americans are currently calling the "War on Terror", no actual war has yet taken place. That human interest in war-making has led to these collections of events being termed wars has no bearing on their actual status as non-wars. User:Dwee 25 Feb 2005 This is one opinion. It's disputed. As for the War on Terror, the Invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan are clearly wars. Whether or not these combat terrorism is an issue, but whether or not they're part of the war currently being refered to as the 'War on Terror' cannot be. It's beginning date could be disputed, but World War Two's could be as well.-Alakhriveion ==history== I'm interested in the history of the term. When was "world war" first applied to either WWI or WWII? I think it was in the 50s, but I need some reference... User:Dbachmann User_talk:Dbachmann 12:04, 23 Feb 2005 (UTC) :No much earlier. According to this [http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=371070 page], the term "world war" was first used in 1909. The term "World War II" was first used in 1919 so the term First World War must have already been in occasional use for the Great War. The wars were called the First and Second World Wars already in 1938 in Time magazine. User:Rmhermen 16:18, Feb 24, 2005 (UTC) ::thanks! see also the following replies and follow-up question that turned up on WP:RD User:Dbachmann User_talk:Dbachmann 18:43, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC) : If you have access to a good dictionary - I'll have a glance at our multi-volume OED in the reference department tomorrow if I remember - try looking them up and seeing if there's a citation; I ''think'' "World War Two" was in use as early as the 1940s, possibly even during the war, but I don't know when it became the "proper name". User:Shimgray 16:51, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC) :: Being a little more helpful... "the world war" is used in [http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/1/2/0/11200/11200-h/11200-h.htm ''The World War and What was Behind It''] (1918); it's uncapitalised, but the meaning is clear and it's definitely used as a specific term. :: In January '43, FDR commented "In the years between the end of the first World War and the beginning of the second World War..." [http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext04/sufdr11.txt]; again, the meaning is fairly explicit. :: The terms were still ambiguous by the early 1950s, though; my 1952 Revised Edition of Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable feels the need to note that ''...in all references to the two Great Wars of this century, World War I indicates that of 1914-18, World War II that of 1939-45''. (it's interesting they say -18 not -19, but I digress) User:Shimgray 17:31, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC) ::: Why is it "interesting they say -18, not -19"? Last time I checked, World War I was generally agreed to last until 1918. Please enlighten me. User:Nightstallion 19:19, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC) :::: Aha, but here's the rub - fighting lasted from 1914 to 1918, but the Treaty of Versailles was only signed in 1919. As such, the war was often referred to as lasting until 1919 at the time, even though there was no fighting that year; you often see war memorials referring to the "1914-1919 War", contemporary medals were often marked "1914-1919", and the like. This fell out of use over the years, and now 1918 is far more common. If you look at Google, for example, "1914-18" gets about ten times as many hits as "1914-19". (partly due to the emphasis in many countries on the Armstice celebrations, but I suspect it also had a lot to do with the growing emphasis on "social history" rather than "diplomatic history", and the reduced role of people Learning Dates Of Treaties. I haven't ever studied that, though...) :::: I wasn't sure when the general transition of "the correct dates" shifted, but for some reason I'd expected it to be later than 1950. Another one for research... User:Shimgray 20:31, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC) == Seven Years War == was the first ever war that wasnt started in europe good job to whoever wrote that--User:JinFX 02:51, 2005 March 8 (UTC) == Where is the article going? == I have just pilfered the introductions from the WWI and WWII pages for brif introductions to these two wars. I guess they are a bit long for this page but can be shortened later... Anyway, some things I think this page needs: #Reference (page number, volume) of the Churchill quote, and I guess that the fact this is in his history of the English speaking peoples should be in the 7 years war section not the intro (but the quote itself could stay in the intro). #Other historians views of what counts as a World War? With refs. #Contrast with Total war - some world wars are total wars but the two are not the same thing. #The Cold War / War on Terror info may be better in the Classification as a world war section. What do you think? User:Andreww 01:38, 25 Apr 2005 (UTC)

See other meanings of words starting from letter:

W