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Why was world war named world war?

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Anonymous

13y ago
Updated: 8/20/2019

World War I was so named in retrospect with reference to World War II. At the time that World War I was being fought, it was simply known as "the Great War". These two wars were termed "World Wars" because they involved so many more countries than had every been part of any previous war. In the past wars were usually fought between two factions within a nation or a couple of nations or perhaps 2 or three nations allied against 2 or 3 other nations. In these wars, many, many nations were allied on each side and the battle fronts reached across the continent and out into the oceans. In the case of WW II, the battle was being fought in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Atlantic, and the Pacific - truly a world-wide war.

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Wiki User

13y ago

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