# What was the most 'global' war/conflict prior to World War I? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 12, 2018, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-global-war-conflict-prior-to-world-war-i/824395 "2018-11-12T05:14:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Smudge777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@Smudge777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smudge777)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2018, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-global-war-conflict-prior-to-world-war-i/824395/1 "2018-11-12T05:14:14Z")
WWI and WWII are standouts in their category for their scale and geographical extent. They are considered global conflicts because, even though various parts of the world (much of Africa and Latin America (and western Europe?)) saw no direct involvement, they felt indirect economic and politics effects. However, it leads me to wonder what were the most ‘global’ wars of earlier decades or centuries, in terms of global impact during the actual wartime (rather than in subsequent years). Please leave your thoughts. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2018, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-global-war-conflict-prior-to-world-war-i/824395/2 "2018-11-12T05:30:27Z")
One of the first and most important “global” wars was the [Seven Years War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Years%27_War) (1756-1763). From Wiki: > [@](#): > > It involved every European great power of the time and spanned five continents, affecting Europe, the Americas, West Africa, India, and the Philippines. The conflict split Europe into two coalitions, led by the Kingdom of Great Britain (including Prussia, Portugal, Hanover, and other small German states) on one side and the Kingdom of France (including the Austrian-led Holy Roman Empire, the Russian Empire (until 1762), Bourbon Spain, and Sweden) on the other. Meanwhile, in India, some regional polities within the increasingly fragmented Mughal Empire, with the support of the French, tried to crush a British attempt to conquer Bengal. The war’s extent has led some historians to describe it as “World War Zero”, similar in scale to other world wars.[5] ---
**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:** [November 12, 2018, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-global-war-conflict-prior-to-world-war-i/824395/3 "2018-11-12T05:36:16Z")
The Napoleonic Wars? Although the main event was in Europe, there was conflict all over the world. Much like the Great War, in a way. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2018, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-global-war-conflict-prior-to-world-war-i/824395/4 "2018-11-12T05:39:34Z")
I think you need to read up on Africa and W Europe in WW1. On topic, the Seven Years War and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars saw fighting in large parts of the globe. War of Spanish succession saw fighting in S America and the future United States. The various Rome v Persia conflicts saw most of the civilised world outside of China involved, though less direct fighting out side of their border regions. The [Battle of Qarqar](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Qarqar) in 853 BC involved pretty much the entire ancient worlds nations less China. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2018, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-global-war-conflict-prior-to-world-war-i/824395/5 "2018-11-12T05:55:51Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > One of the first and most important “global” wars was the [Seven Years War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Years%27_War) (1756-1763). You can make a similar argument about the Nine Years War (1688-1697). Or even the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). Those wars also saw battles fought in Europe, India, Africa, and the Americas. Basically once European countries became global imperial powers, any war fought between them would be a global war. But these were all wars in which European powers were fighting each other albeit often doing so in non-European theaters. The first war in which a non-European power fought as a significant power along with various European powers was the Napoleonic Wars (assuming you accept the war between Great Britain and the United States as part of that war). ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2018, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-global-war-conflict-prior-to-world-war-i/824395/6 "2018-11-12T06:22:20Z")
I don’t think it wins the “most” award by any criterion, but the American Revolution was more international than expected. French and German (primarily Hessian) involvement was known, as well as some individuals like Kociuszko. But it also led to wars between Britain and the Dutch Republic, as well as Britain vs. the Kingdom of Mysore (India). ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2018, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-global-war-conflict-prior-to-world-war-i/824395/7 "2018-11-12T15:11:01Z")
The wars of the Diadochi were rather extensive. Probably the Napoleonic, though. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2018, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-global-war-conflict-prior-to-world-war-i/824395/8 "2018-11-12T17:41:05Z")
The wars of Genghis Khan and his successors were not really global in that the New World was not involved at all and there was no naval component, but they did reach well into China, involved an African power (the Mamluks) and stretched into Europe. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2018, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-global-war-conflict-prior-to-world-war-i/824395/9 "2018-11-12T22:20:50Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > The various Rome v Persia conflicts saw most of the civilised world outside of China involved, though less direct fighting out side of their border regions. But no-one from the Western Hemisphere, such as the Mayans, so I don’t think it counts for the OP. > [@](#): > > The [Battle of Qarqar](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Qarqar) in 853 BC involved pretty much the entire ancient worlds nations less China. No Mayans or Archaic Greeks. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2018, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-global-war-conflict-prior-to-world-war-i/824395/10 "2018-11-12T22:25:39Z")
> [@Smudge777](#): > > WWI and WWII are standouts in their category for their scale and geographical extent. They are considered global conflicts because, even though various parts of the world (much of Africa and Latin America (**and western Europe?) saw no direct involvement** … **my bolding** I think you might want to be careful advancing that thesis to the French, Belgians, and the British, and to the Netherlanders (for WWII). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Smudge777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@Smudge777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smudge777)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2018, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-global-war-conflict-prior-to-world-war-i/824395/11 "2018-11-12T23:14:11Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > **my bolding** > > I think you might want to be careful advancing that thesis to the French, Belgians, and the British, and to the Netherlanders (for WWII). Oh gosh, you’re right. That was supposed to say Western Asia, not Western Europe. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2018, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-global-war-conflict-prior-to-world-war-i/824395/12 "2018-11-12T23:33:01Z")
I vote Napoleonic also. Especially if you count the War of 1812 as part of the conflict since it has just as much relation to the rest of the conflict as a lot of other wars that are considered as one such as the 30 years war. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-global-war-conflict-prior-to-world-war-i/824395/13 "2018-11-13T00:06:36Z")
> [@Smudge777](#): > > Oh gosh, you’re right. > > That was supposed to say Western Asia, not Western Europe. No probs. 😃 However I would say Western Asia was heavily involved in WWI. The Ottoman Empire was on the side of the Central Powers, leading to Gallipoli. And then there were the campaigns between the Ottomans and the Germans on the one hand, and on the other hand the British, French and Russians, assisted by local forces, in various locations in Ottoman territory. The net result was the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire, followed by British and French League of Nations “mandates” in Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, etc. The new borders were straight-lines drawn by the Imperial powers (sorry; League of Nations benevolent mandatories) which [del]ignored local intérêts and ethnic divisions[/del] took grand geo-political factors into account. The Balfour Declaration was another major outcome, setting the course for the foundation of Israel. All in all, the effect of WWI on West Asia was immense, and we are still seeing the effects today. > **[Middle Eastern theatre of World War I](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Eastern_theatre_of_World_War_I)** > > Allied victory > Ottoman Empire 305,085 killed466,759 dead of disease 763,753 wounded 242,746 captured 250,000 missing Germany 3,200 captured\[Note 1\] > 2,000,000 Persian civilians dead from famine exacerbated by Russian, British, and Ottoman occupation > **[Balfour Declaration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balfour_Declaration)** > > His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country. The Balfour Declaration was a public statement issued by the British Gov... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-global-war-conflict-prior-to-world-war-i/824395/14 "2018-11-13T02:43:46Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > You can make a similar argument about the Nine Years War (1688-1697). Or even the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). Those wars also saw battles fought in Europe, India, Africa, and the Americas. Basically once European countries became global imperial powers, any war fought between them would be a global war. > > But these were all wars in which European powers were fighting each other albeit often doing so in non-European theaters. The first war in which a non-European power fought as a significant power along with various European powers was the Napoleonic Wars (assuming you accept the war between Great Britain and the United States as part of that war). The Nine Years’ War and the Thirty Years’ War were indeed largely just European powers fighting each other, sometimes outside of Europe. But the Seven Years’ War had significant involvement from non-European powers. Most notably, a large number of Native American groups in North America (Abenaki, Ottawa, Wyandot, and several others) fought during the war; there’s a reason it’s known as the French _and Indian_ War in the United States. The Mughal Empire (which was admittedly in decline at that point) was a significant player in the Indian theater as well. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-global-war-conflict-prior-to-world-war-i/824395/15 "2018-11-13T04:54:32Z")
Yes, I think the Seven Years War beats out the Napoleonic Wars as the first global conflict. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-global-war-conflict-prior-to-world-war-i/824395/16 "2018-11-13T05:13:24Z")
> [@Malden\_Capell](#): > > The Napoleonic Wars? Although the main event was in Europe, there was conflict all over the world. Much like the Great War, in a way. The Guerra de la Independencia of Spain from the French became several Guerras de la Independencia: Mexico, Colombia (later split into several), Centroamérica (intended to copy the US, instead each of its “component states” rapidly became its own nation-state, except for Guanacaste which joined Costa Rica), etc. It’s a war which created new sides as it raged on. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-global-war-conflict-prior-to-world-war-i/824395/17 "2018-11-13T05:44:10Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > No probs. 😃 > > However I would say Western Asia was heavily involved in WWI. The Ottoman Empire was on the side of the Central Powers, leading to Gallipoli. > > And then there were the campaigns between the Ottomans and the Germans on the one hand, and on the other hand the British, French and Russians, assisted by local forces, in various locations in Ottoman territory. > > The net result was the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire, followed by British and French League of Nations “mandates” in Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, etc. > > The new borders were straight-lines drawn by the Imperial powers (sorry; League of Nations benevolent mandatories) which [del]ignored local intérêts and ethnic divisions[/del] took grand geo-political factors into account. > > The Balfour Declaration was another major outcome, setting the course for the foundation of Israel. > > All in all, the effect of WWI on West Asia was immense, and we are still seeing the effects today. > > [Middle Eastern theatre of World War I - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Eastern_theatre_of_World_War_I) > > [Balfour Declaration - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balfour_Declaration) > > Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Much more importantly, West Asia was the site of fighting throughout the First World War. In Sinai and Gaza. The Levant. The Dardanelles. Mesopotamia. All places saw actions by the British, White Dominion and Indian forces against the Turks. So “no involvement”, except for the massive multiple, multi year campaigns. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-global-war-conflict-prior-to-world-war-i/824395/18 "2018-11-13T12:44:55Z")
Yes, that’s what I meant by referring to the campaigns in Ottoman Territory, and the link to the wiki article about the Middle Easter Theatre in WWI. 🙂 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-global-war-conflict-prior-to-world-war-i/824395/19 "2018-11-13T12:57:52Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Much more importantly, West Asia was the site of fighting throughout the First World War. In Sinai and Gaza. The Levant. The Dardanelles. Mesopotamia. All places saw actions by the British, White Dominion and Indian forces against the Turks. So “no involvement”, except for the massive multiple, multi year campaigns. Note that while there were [naval battles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_operations_in_the_Dardanelles_Campaign) around the Dardanelles, the only land action in that area was at Gallipoli which is in Europe. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-global-war-conflict-prior-to-world-war-i/824395/20 "2018-11-13T13:48:54Z")
:dubious: Well there was the [Sinai and Palestine Campaign](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinai_and_Palestine_Campaign). All in Asia, except perhaps the Suez canal positions on the west bank. There was a small\* and often [forgotten Persian Campaign](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Campaign). Besides the Arab revolt, [there was fighting in what is now Yemen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Arabia_during_World_War_I), the administered by British India. Then[there was Mesopotamia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesopotamian_campaign), the bloodiest British theatre outside of France and Flander. And of course the [Caucasus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasus_Campaign). So in what way was I wrong? \*Small in reletive terms, it saw tens of thousands of battle deaths.