# Why "World" War I? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 24, 2013, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100 "2013-12-24T19:46:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Shearer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/57b2e6/32.png) [@Shearer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shearer)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100/41 "2013-12-30T09:09:11Z")
What was Lawrence of Arabia all about then? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100/42 "2013-12-30T09:59:09Z")
Were any Egyptian soldiers or civilians actually involved in the fighting? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100/43 "2013-12-30T10:43:11Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Were any Egyptian soldiers or civilians actually involved in the fighting? The Egyptians did not have an Army in the fashion of everyone else, Egypts defence was the responsibility of the Government of British India. Moreover, German UBoats sank Egyptian ships, Egyptian civilians were intered, Cairo and Alexandria were bombed, the Axis twice invaded Egypt… a bit different than Peru don’t you think. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100/44 "2013-12-30T11:34:47Z")
> [@Shearer](#): > > What was Lawrence of Arabia all about then? For a start, it was a different war - World War I. Also, Lawrence & Co were operating in the Hejaz, which was (nominally) part of the Ottoman Empire in what is now Saudi Arabia, not Egypt. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100/45 "2013-12-30T11:48:53Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > The Egyptians did not have an Army in the fashion of everyone else, Egypts defence was the responsibility of the Government of British India. > > Moreover, German UBoats sank Egyptian ships, Egyptian civilians were intered, Cairo and Alexandria were bombed, the Axis twice invaded Egypt… a bit different than Peru don’t you think. That’s true - the Axis bombed lots of places you wouldn’t think of. The Italians even bombed Tel Aviv a couple of times. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100/46 "2013-12-30T11:59:31Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > The Egyptians did not have an Army in the fashion of everyone else, Egypts defence was the responsibility of the Government of British India. Egypt actually did have an army at that time, about 100,000 men, which was how people like Nasser and Sadat got their start. But, they weren’t used for much because Egyptian officers tended to be pro-Axis in sympathy, or at least anti-British, and the British government didn’t trust them. (Sadat, for instance, was actually imprisoned during the war, along with a bunch of other officers, for plotting with the Germans.) Some Egyptian troops performed garrison duty, though, and some flew in the RAF. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100/47 "2013-12-30T16:53:51Z")
As a small child in Ohio, I once asked my grandfather if he was bombed during the war. He replied “I was so bombed I don’t remember a thing!” I’ll be here all week. ---
**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:** [December 30, 2013, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100/48 "2013-12-30T17:02:53Z")
> [@Shearer](#): > > What was Lawrence of Arabia all about then? Lawrence’s role was as a behind-enemy-lines _agent provocateur_ and liaison who promoted the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire, which at the time ruled Palestine and much of Arabia. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100/49 "2013-12-30T17:21:37Z")
Because Europeans named the war, and to them, Europe IS the world. I’m half-serious. What actually happened is that it wasn’t referred to was a “World War” until WWII. Before that, it was called the “Great War.” WWII was really a world war, but it was also in some ways an repeat of the Great War, so that retroactively became known as WWI. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100/50 "2013-12-30T17:27:07Z")
Well, i learned a lot from reading the replies in this thread. But i came in here to say, “Egocentrism”. ---
**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:** [December 30, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100/51 "2013-12-30T17:37:29Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > Because Europeans named the war, and to them, Europe IS the world. Then why weren’t any previous wars, including those that were conducted between many different European countries on multiple continents, ever called world wars? ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100/52 "2013-12-30T20:17:05Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > My understanding is something similar happened in World War II, as well as a situation where a lot of previously uninvolved countries like Argentina, Peru, Egypt and Turkey declared war on Germany in 1945 when it was obvious to everyone except Hitler that the Germans were going to lose. This wasn’t the case, at least with regards to Central American counties. Panama declared war on Japan on Dec 7, 1941, and Costa Rica, The Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, and Nicaragua (and the USA) declared war on Japan on Dec 8, 1941. They were all also original signatories to the [Declaration by United Nations](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_by_United_Nations) on January 1, 1942 which put them at war with all other Axis powers, not that any of them did or could contribute substantial military force to the conflict. Two Latin American countries did sent substantive forces to the war. Mexico declared war on the Axis powers on May 22, 1942 in response to the sinking of Mexican tankers by U-boats, and [Escuadrón 201](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escuadr%C3%B3n_201) flying P-47s saw action in the Philippines in 1945 attached to the USAAF 58th Fighter Group. Brazil declared war on Germany and Italy on August 22, 1942, and the [Brazilian Expeditionary Force](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Expeditionary_Force) of some 27,500 men was in action in Italy from September 1944 until the end of the war in Europe. ETA: On rereading I guess you could still make the case that Central American countries declared war in order to curry favor with the US regardless of the declaration against Japan being immediate. But in any case, they didn’t wait for the victor to be obvious to declare war. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100/53 "2013-12-30T20:24:44Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Then why weren’t any previous wars, including those that were conducted between many different European countries on multiple continents, ever called world wars? I guess they had to be big enough too. ---
**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:** [December 30, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100/54 "2013-12-30T20:48:35Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > I guess they had to be big enough too. Or your premise is incorrect.😉 It wasn’t until after the Age of Discovery and the foundation of European colonial empires that a “world war” even became possible. So any “world war” would have to involve European participants pretty much by necessity. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100/55 "2013-12-31T02:15:27Z")
And as a side note, I have sometimes heard the Cold War referred to as World war III. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100/56 "2013-12-31T02:49:07Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > Egypt was an independent country but still a British protectorate and the British were allowed to maintain military forces in the country outside the Suez Canal Zone in the event of a war - which they did during World War II… Huh. I remember seeing a documentary in which Nazi Germany had a very large, military-run archeological dig just outside Cairo in 1936. They even had an airfield on which a cool flying-wing aircraft landed. I’m surprised, quite frankly, that the British let them do that. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100/57 "2013-12-31T02:50:43Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > 😉 And the US has never fought a war since 1945 either. Oh, we’ve fought plenty of wars. We just haven’t _declared_ any since 1941. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100/58 "2013-12-31T03:19:59Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Huh. I remember seeing a documentary in which Nazi Germany had a very large, military-run archeological dig just outside Cairo in 1936. They even had an airfield on which a cool flying-wing aircraft landed. I’m surprised, quite frankly, that the British let them do that. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100/59 "2013-12-31T09:05:40Z")
> [@Dissonance](#): > > ETA: On rereading I guess you could still make the case that Central American countries declared war in order to curry favor with the US regardless of the declaration against Japan being immediate. But in any case, they didn’t wait for the victor to be obvious to declare war. That was the point I was making, ie lots of Central American countries declared war on Germany/Japan to curry favour with the US and promptly had pretty much no involvement whatsoever from there on, with the exceptions of Mexico and Brazil (as noted - and Mexico declared war after Germany attacked them). There were quite a few countries, including several in South America, who _did_ wait for victory to be all but certain before declaring war on Germany, which is what I was also referencing. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100/60 "2013-12-31T21:41:52Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Sir, there was an astonishing amount of conflict in Africa. > > Try reading this– > > [The Great War in Africa: 1914-1918by Byron Farwell](http://www.amazon.com/Great-War-Africa-1914-1918/dp/0393305643/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1387917099&sr=1-1&keywords=great+war+in+africa) > > Terribly readable, and informative. Yup, that’s where an ancestor of mine died in service in 1917, apparently his duties including following [Jan Smuts](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Smuts#First_World_War) about. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-world-war-i/677100.md?page=4)