# Non-Americans: If I say "The Civil War", what do you think of? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 2, 2012, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126 "2012-01-02T08:58:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126/1 "2012-01-02T08:58:44Z")
I was just watching some episodes of the British program QI, and “The Civil War” was mentioned, with it apparently understood that they meant the American Civil War. There was no prior context leading one to believe that they were specifically talking about America. Now, it’s not a surprise that Brits would know about this part of US history–in fact, I’d hardly be surprised if the average Brit knew more about it than the average American. But there’s been no shortage of civil wars on the British Isles, so I found it a bit surprising that _The_ Civil War would automatically refer to America. Is this actually a British thing? What about other English-speaking countries, or other countries in Europe? Has Hollywood been so successful that the US has earned rights to _The_ Civil War? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126/2 "2012-01-02T09:58:19Z")
Due to context (English, it’s the Dope), I thought the War Between the States. When I heard the same expression in the UK I knew it meant “Cromwell”; the other “British” (actually English) Civil War that comes to mind is the War of the Roses, but I always have heard it called by its own name. ---
**Author:** ![Malden\_Capell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malden_capell/32/5274_2.png) [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126/3 "2012-01-02T10:14:27Z")
Without a bit more context or a cue, I would have more likely have thought of the English Civil War. But the US Civil War wouldn’t have been far from my thoughts, either. ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126/4 "2012-01-02T10:31:21Z")
Australian here. Without context The Civil War would to me reference the US one. As has already been said the most well known British Civil War has another name ie the War of the Roses that is used often as a reference name. ---
**Author:** ![Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrogance_ex_machina/32/192_2.png) [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrogance_Ex_Machina)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126/5 "2012-01-02T10:43:16Z")
You might want to check out this thread: [Non-Americans: When I hear "The Civil War" - In My Humble Opinion - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=620777) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126/6 "2012-01-02T10:55:10Z")
> [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](#): > > You might want to check out this thread: [Non-Americans: When I hear "The Civil War" - In My Humble Opinion - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=620777) The similarity in thread titles is a little creepy: _Non-Americans: If I say “The Civil War”, what do you think of? Non-Americans: When I hear “The Civil War”_ Anyway, thanks for the link. ---
**Author:** ![dorsk188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f05b48/32.png) [@dorsk188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorsk188)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126/7 "2012-01-02T11:24:07Z")
American here, and I honestly first thought was the concept of civil wars in abstract. Then I thought Iraq. Then I thought “Galactic Civil War” from Star Wars. But I am kind of tired at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Walther\_Ego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Walther\_Ego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walther_Ego)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126/8 "2012-01-02T11:53:05Z")
In an English concept, Cromwell stuff, in any other, American. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126/9 "2012-01-02T12:18:03Z")
In English (and on an US-centric-board like the Dope), I would think of the American one. First, because it’s often discussed on the Dope (why did it start? Slavery, no it was complicated, yes it was slavery after all; How would it have gone if battle \_\_\_\_\_ went different), second because of the series “Fackeln im Sturm” (North and South) with Patrick Swayze back in the 80s about it; third because other wars are specified: the Spanish civil war, the English civil war etc. In my own language, without context, I would ask back which one. Most of the time there is context however. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126/10 "2012-01-03T07:28:56Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > In English (and on an US-centric-board like the Dope), I would think of the American one. First, because it’s often discussed on the Dope (why did it start? Slavery, no it was complicated, yes it was slavery after all; How would it have gone if battle \_\_\_\_\_ went different), second because of the series “Fackeln im Sturm” (North and South) with Patrick Swayze back in the 80s about it; third because other wars are specified: the Spanish civil war, the English civil war etc. > > In my own language, without context, I would ask back which one. Most of the time there is context however. In Spain do they call it “The Spanish Civil War”? ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126/11 "2012-01-03T14:51:01Z")
You don’t have a link to the clip do you? It’s very suprising to me, as I’ve never heard ‘The Civil War’, when said in England, refer to anything but the one we had in the 1640-1650’s. This isn’t just QI doing one of the “You think I’m talking about ‘a’, but really I’m talking about ‘x’!” things is it? ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126/12 "2012-01-03T15:13:16Z")
It would be pretty rare to hear it mentioned without context helping you out. With no context at all, I’d first think Cromwell, then the American one. If talking to an American, then I’d have no doubt that unless they specified otherwise, they were referring to their own civil war. I wouldn’t think the War of the Roses as that’s called the War of the Roses (and is, incidentally, a much cooler name!) ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126/13 "2012-01-03T15:15:38Z")
We’re too civilized to have civil wars, so I would assume yours. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126/14 "2012-01-03T15:30:30Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > In Spain do they call it “The Spanish Civil War”? You’d need to ask Nava for that. I’m from Germany, and we had no official civil war, only civil-war like unrests at some periods. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126/15 "2012-01-04T02:11:29Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > You’d need to ask Nava for that. I’m from Germany, and we had no official civil war, only civil-war like unrests at some periods. If you asked me (and I’m not German) what the “German Civil War” was I’d have said the Thirty Years War. ---
**Author:** ![Apollon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47774/32.png) [@Apollon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollon)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126/16 "2012-01-04T02:56:34Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > You’d need to ask Nava for that. I’m from Germany, and we had no official civil war, only civil-war like unrests at some periods. How about Der Deutsch-Deutsche Krieg (Seven Weeks War)? ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126/17 "2012-01-04T04:36:16Z")
Without context and in English, it’s the one with Honest Abe. Without context and in Spanish it’s 50-50 US and Spain. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126/18 "2012-01-04T05:28:21Z")
> [@Apollon](#): > > How about Der Deutsch-Deutsche Krieg (Seven Weeks War)? It was between separate states (ie Osterreich und Preussenland) which while ethnically all part of the German nation not the same country at the time so its not a civil war ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126/19 "2012-01-04T08:26:42Z")
The Guns N’ Roses song. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126/20 "2012-01-04T11:21:48Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > In Spain do they call it “The Spanish Civil War”? La guerra civil. That would be the 1936-9 one, any others get their own names. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-if-i-say-the-civil-war-what-do-you-think-of/608126.md?page=2)