When is a world war considered a world war?

Question

the new guy at work is WW3 mad. He keeps going on about the war on terror and how its the begining oof WW3. As I was trying to block him out I did begin to wonderhow you tell when a war could begin to be called a world war.

Answer 1

We only have two world wars to use as examples. Many people call the Cold War and War on Terror world wars, but history is very selective and discriminating. So what do the first world wars have in common? Some have stated it above: superpowers in opposite camps with the majority of the countries on one side or the other. Also the involvement of more than one continent and ocean. The Cold War falls short because it wasn't hot and the war on terror does not involve super powers in opposite camps....just a localized war among rumps states relegated to the heap of regional conflicts

Answer 2

I also hear people go on about how the cold war was world war III, and the war on terror is world war IV. Since neither of the latter were all-out wars like I and II, I tend not to think of them as world wars, just conflicts or something less exalted.

Answer 3

A World War is when multiple nation go to war. Usually on many fronts. Don't worry You wont miss the next one.

Answer 4

when the majority of the countries in the world declare war. most people don't realize just how many countries declared war during WWII for example, mostly because it was more words then actions by most of them, but about 90% of the worlds nations declared war on one side..not to say 90% have to, but alot more then 1,2 or even 10 or 15 would have to to make it a "world war"

Answer 5

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.

Answer 6

A World War is when most nations are waging wars and it is conducted in many places at the same time

Answer 7

a world war usually affects the more powerful nations and on at least 2-3 continents.

Answer 8

Many pupils do evaluate the chilly conflict as being the 0.33 worldwide conflict that went "warm" in distinctive locations and at distinctive situations (Vietnam, korea, africa, etc). one ought to argue that because of the fact of those periodic "flares interior the iciness", warmth became released and for this reason it did not culminate right into a nuclear cauldron which might have unavoidably engulfed the worldwide in fireplace. for this reason, Vietnam (indochina) and others become "battlefields" of the chilly conflict, each intricately related to the subsequent; a 0.33 worldwide conflict encompassing 0.5 a century of brinkmanship between the superpowers. And so definite they are proxy wars, a results of a worldwide at conflict apolitically and covertly. in many procedures, a paradox.

Answer 9

when the world goes on a all-out war on each other until the mosquito start biting their pointy nose and spreads malaria.no?