When is it called a world war?

Question

My daughter just asked me this and I don't know the answer.

Answer 1

Generally, when you have multiple major powers fighting each other directly on more than one continent. This does not include cases where only two powers are involved (such as the Russo-Japanese War), where the nations are relatively minor powers or the scale of conflict is small (such as various border skirmishes in Africa) or where the nations are not in direct conflict (such as the Vietnam War, in which the US and China supported the opposing sides but did not attack each other).

While the Napoleonic Wars did have components on multiple continents, only in Europe were major powers in direct conflict. By some interpretations, the Crimean War might be classed as a world war, but few actually call it one.

Answer 2

A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's major nations. World wars usually span multiple continents, and are very bloody and destructive.

The term has usually been applied to two conflicts of unprecedented scale and slaughter that occurred during the 20th century. They were the First World War, also known as the Great War (1914–1918) and the Second World War (1939–1945).

The term "World War" was coined speculatively in the early 20th century, some years before the First World War broke out, probably as a literal translation of the German word 'Weltkrieg'[1] The Oxford English Dictionary cites the first known usage as being in April 1909

Answer 3

The dictionary defines it as a war in which most of the major world powers take part in the war. While there are several countries in Iraq, it's probably not deemed as a world war since there aren't major countries fighting against the force there, that is if the question was sparked because of the Iraq war.

Answer 4

When two or more groups of countries that are allied for different reasons and fight for conflicting causes, that, I think, would constitute a world war, especially if most of the world's countries would be directly or indirectly involved in the war.

Answer 5

When the majority of the world is involved

Answer 6

It is called a world war when two rival groups or governments are fighting in more than one continent .like they are fighting in europe and they are fighting in asia or america .

Answer 7

world war becoz, almost every country in the world is fighting with with one another, there is a world wide confussion, and destruction.

Answer 8

probably in a few years when the world powers finally admit they are wrong

Answer 9

When it effects the world, not just two countries pissed at each other

Answer 10

It is the superbowl of the world's superpowers.