Simple. Answer the poll question after reading this:


The Seven Years War was the first global conflict. It had two main fronts. The first, in Europe, was the hostility between Prussia and Austria, still simmering after the War of the Austrian Succession , which expanded through alliances to include all of Europe. The second was the colonial rivalries between Britain, France and Spain, known in America as the French and Indian War, which begin in 1754 with conflict over control of the Ohio valley. The Seven Years War started in a flurry of diplomatic activity which resulted in a diplomatic revolution and the reversal of the alliances of the War of the Austrian Succession. First Britain and Prussia formed an alliance (January 1756), followed by France and Austria, who had been traditional enemies. The fighting started with Frederick II of Prussia's invasion and defeat of Saxony (August-October 1756), although the main conflict did not start until the following year.
In January 1757 the Holy Roman Empire, led by Maria Theresa of Habsburg, empress of Austria (although her husband Francis I was Holy Roman Emperor), declared war on Prussia, who now found herself surrounded by enemies, with much greater populations and resources. Frederick's response was to invade Bohemia, where he defeated the Austrians at the Battle of Prague (6 May 1757), although he was himself defeated at Kolin (18 June 1757) and forced to withdraw, although he then defeated a French and Austrian army in Saxony at the Battle of Rossbach (5 November 1757), and an Austrian army invading Silesia at the battle of Leuthen (5 December 1757. The same year saw Clive of India defeat the French in India at the Battle of Plassey (23 June), and the French occupy Hanover, having defeated the duke of Cumberland at Hastenbeck, forcing him to sign the Convention of Kloster-Zeven

The French occupation of Hanover was shortlived, and a joint British and Hanoverian army defeated a Franco-Austrian one at Crefeld (June 1758), followed two months later by Frederick's victory over the Russians at Zorndorg (August 1758), halting their advance. The Austrians were able to inflict a rare defeat on Frederick at Hochkirck (October 1758), but failed to take advantage of it

1759 saw Prussia on the back back foot, but Britain triumphant. Frederick was defeated by the Russians at Kunersdorf (August) and the Austrians at Maxen (November). In contrast, Britain was victorious on land, at sea, and in the colonies. August saw the Battle of Minden (1 August), where a combined British and Hanoverian force defeated a new French attack, and the naval Battle of Lagos (7-18 August 1759, off Portugal), where a French fleet intended for an invasion of England was defeated. September saw the capture of Quebec from the French, and 20 November the naval battle of Quiberon Bay (Brittany), the defeat of a French fleet intended for an invasion of Scotland.

British success continued in 1760, with victory over the French in India at the Battle of Wandiwash (Madras, 22 January), which ended French hopes of a victory in India. It also saw some success for Frederick II, despite a short occupation of Berlin by the Russians in October. He defeated the Austrians at Torgau (3 November), although loses were heavy on both sides. 1761 continued in the same vein, with the British successfull at Pondicherry (January), and the Germans defeating the French at Villinghause (15 July). At this point, the nature of the war was changed by the death of two monarchs. First was the death of George II, and the accession of George III, who ended British aid to Prussia. Just when it looked like Prussia was doomed, Tsar Peter III succeeded to the Russian Throne (January 1762). The new Tsar was a great admirer of Frederick II, and quickly moved to end the war between Prussia and Russia (Treaty of St. Petersburg, 5 May 1762). The war now turned decisivly towards Britain and Prussia. Frederick II defeated the Austrians at Burkersdorf (21 July 1762) and Reichenbach (16 August), regaining all of his lost territory, while the British captured Havana and Manila from the Spanish. Peace between Britain and France was restored by the Treaties of Fontainebleau (3 Novemebr 1763) and of Paris (10 February 1763), in which Britain restored Cuba and the Philippines to Spain, while retained her conquests from the French in Canada, America and India. Five days later the Treaty of Hubertusberg (15 February 1763) saw peace between Austrian, Prussia and Saxony, confirming Silesia as Prussian territory.

The Seven Years War saw Britain established as the greatest colonial power, with control over India and North America seemingly secured, while Prussia emerged as the greatest power on the Continent, and the dominant force inside Germany, reducing still further the power of the Holy Roman Empire and Habsburg Austria. Frederick II of Prussia (The Great) emerges as the most remarkable leader of the war. Prussia was the smallest of the main combatants, and yet Frederick survived year after year of campaigning, and despite coming near to defeat he emerged triumphant.

There may be some discrepancies, because some of this is news to me, but, I believe this was truley a world war.

Just because the warfare was different and on a smaller scale back then, doesnt mean its automatically disqualified.

What do you think?

Yes and no.

Thank you for that.
Can you please give some reasons as to your uncertain conclusion?

While often considered the first 'Global Confict' the 7 years war/French and Indian War is not related to what has been dubbed generally recognized as the "World Wars."

Its a matter of symantics.

It isn't a world war. World Wars are defined by the fact that they were total wars with incredibly large portions of the countries' populations directly involved.

Yep.


The 7 Years War is one of my favorite conflicts, terribly interesting and Ive an abiding affection for many of the key players- Frederick the Great and all those neat folks.

Im rather upset that my copy of Soldier Kings hasnt come in yet. I had hoped to get in some wargaming in before finals started, but alas, it is not to be.

This post has been edited by mhallex: May 13 2005, 03:17 PM

none of the wars you describe involved large portions of the earth in fighing. So no.

Russia, Europe, Africa and North America. How is that not large portions of the world?

The distances coverd were quite large but the actual area of fighting was quite small(comparitivly). The size of the armies and type of weapons used were prohibitive to the expansive combat seen in later wars.

Ryan seems to be contradicting himself. First he is saying that just because it is small doesn't mean it's less of a world war then he comes back and argues that the 7 years war wasn't on a large enough scale.

Because it wasn't on an industrial scale drawing in the doctrine of total war.

So Ryan, would you say the Napoleonic wars were a world war? They were, after all, a total war for many of the nations involved (particularly Spain and Russia), and combatants in the war, like Britain, had to fight enemies in both Europe and the new world.

Didn't involve Africa. And didn't involve the scale of destruction WWI or II did.

Nappy's trip to Egypt?

Most of Africa wasn't claimed/owned by Europeans though by that time, you had to wait until the Congress of Vienna for that to happen.

Yes, but in WWI only nominal action occured in Africa, as well as in Asia. And no major combat operations in WWI occured in the western hemisphere. WWI was, for all intents and purposes, a European war, fought by Europeans, with consequences, aside from some minor colony swapping, in Europe. It was hardly "world" in scale, it was just a big total war in Europe.

How is Nappy's invasion of Egypt discounted as "Involving Africa" because European powers had only nominal controll of the continent?

I didn't see Indian troops in the Napoleonic wars fighting for the British.

So, basically, we had a major war between Britain and America which involved Canada, a Major war all over Europe against Napoleon's forces, guerilla warfare in Spain, scorched earth in Russia, a continental blockade of Europe, a blockade of the United States, and invasion of Africa, but it's not a world war because Indian troops didn't fight. . . riiiiiiiggggghhhhtttt.

"Total war the waging of war against both combatants and noncombatants, taking the view that no distinction should be made between them"

There has to be a legitimate reason why it isn't declared a world war. Maybe because the US didn't get involved I don't know, but I think the world wars in 20th century are deemed so because the US got involved in both of them.

Well if should messure a war in how good weaponry that is being used then the vietnam war would quallify..

More bombs where used there then what was totally used around the globe during the second world war...


isn´t it quite remarkably that vietnam still excists??..


Seriously i belive that a World war is only so if the people of that time thinks that, and we didn´t really have a good press before 1900... so people didn´t "understand" that thay had been in a world war untill then-.....

Did you miss the part where LB mentioned the war between US and Britain?

Just as an aside.

I have in the past just for fun read older books that didn't describe WWI as WWI but simply as "the Great War". I don't think it was common to refer to the first World War as WWI and then WWII until WWII was either underway or over.

My Father said one day that Gulf War I could be defined as WWIII or WWIV depending on whether or not you used the Cold War as a World War. If the so-called 7 Years War that in fact lasted more than 7 years qualifies then surely Gulf War I does and so does the Cold War.

Perhaps though it may stem from the fact that many of the "world battles" were disputes about Colonial possessions and not involving soverign States, in the opinion of the Historians that came to these designations by common agreement.

Perhaps they just don't want to spend the money to reprint all the texts and perhaps it just wasn't big enough or glorious enough to be given a ganrdious name.

The cold war was not actually a war as such, and the gulf war was not a total war (or at least, not for both sides) and not a war with wide-spread fighting.

Well the only reason I can come up with there being world wars (only two of them)is because they were two major global conflicts in a short time between each other, and one contributing to the next one. Also the advent of Global slaughter on two unpreviously imagined scales also adds weight to these being the only designated World Wars.

The American Revlolution is considered a world war. That was pretty piss-weak.

It's true, though. The American Revolution evolved into a global colonial conflict between England and France, with fighting taking place as far off as India.