- 04 Dec 2009 07:46
#13257004
In fairness if the invasion had consisted largely of Britain and France invading the Crimea (with some Turkish troops) it might have been called the Second Crimean War... because it would have been identical, just displaced in time a little. In terms of naming conventions Seven Years War fits right in. After all there had been a Hundred Years War (and some historians speak of a 'Second Hundred Years War' including the Seven Years War from memory), an Eighty Years War, a Thirty Years War and so forth. All were fought in Europe too. WWI (formerly the Great War) was later seen as part one of a conflict that continued in 1939, just a name was given which linked the two and captured their extent quite well.
From my perspective, the Seven Years War isn't a World War because
- It was only fought by European Powers. Even WWI involved fairly independent formations of troops from non-European countries, like Japan (Ottoman/CUP Turkey wasn't particularly European either). By WWII of course a major Axis power was an Asian country. Now add in the significant contribution of colonial troops, including on European battlefields.
- It hadn't reached total war status. The level of economic, social and political coordination needed to wage a total war, and thus involve the majority of the peoples (in a sense, the world isn't just a geographic concept), just wasn't there and probably wasn't possible with the structure available.
in WWII the Germans invaded and seized Crimea.
And yet WWII is not call the Crimean War II
In fairness if the invasion had consisted largely of Britain and France invading the Crimea (with some Turkish troops) it might have been called the Second Crimean War... because it would have been identical, just displaced in time a little. In terms of naming conventions Seven Years War fits right in. After all there had been a Hundred Years War (and some historians speak of a 'Second Hundred Years War' including the Seven Years War from memory), an Eighty Years War, a Thirty Years War and so forth. All were fought in Europe too. WWI (formerly the Great War) was later seen as part one of a conflict that continued in 1939, just a name was given which linked the two and captured their extent quite well.
From my perspective, the Seven Years War isn't a World War because
- It was only fought by European Powers. Even WWI involved fairly independent formations of troops from non-European countries, like Japan (Ottoman/CUP Turkey wasn't particularly European either). By WWII of course a major Axis power was an Asian country. Now add in the significant contribution of colonial troops, including on European battlefields.
- It hadn't reached total war status. The level of economic, social and political coordination needed to wage a total war, and thus involve the majority of the peoples (in a sense, the world isn't just a geographic concept), just wasn't there and probably wasn't possible with the structure available.
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