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World War 1 (I hate Roman numerals) is considered to have lasted from 1914-1918; World War 2 is considered to have lasted from 1939-1945; but when did the world (historians, politicians, newsmen, etc., then people in general) realize that world wars had begun in 1914 and 1939? I doubt it was when Ferdinand was shot or Germany invaded Poland. At some point in the future, the clarity provided by hindsight pinpointed those years and events as the start of "something big."

I truly want to know the answer to these questions, but what prompts them is the thought that perhaps Russia's invasion of Ukraine was the beginning of World War 3.

Actually, these World Wars may have been World Wars 2 through 4, if the Seven Years War of 1756-1763 (which is described as "a global conflict") was the actual first World War, but that's a different conversation.

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    Please remove speculation about the future (WW3)
    – MCW ♦
    Commented Dec 10 at 14:02
  • 1
    We don't discuss the future in H:SE.
    – MCW ♦
    Commented Dec 10 at 14:06
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    If the Seven Years War has a claim on being WW1 then the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars have a claim on being WW2 and WW3. Also it's entirely possible to have called WW1 the "first world war" with out there ever being a second.
    – Steve Bird
    Commented Dec 10 at 14:30
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    Does the "Names" section of the Wikipedia page on WWI answer your question? If not, what remains unanswered?
    – T.E.D. ♦
    Commented Dec 10 at 15:34
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    It's just a term. No more, no less. FWIW China under Xi has tried to talk up WW2 starting in 1931 with the Manchurian incident. Which sounds a lot better than other versions that have the CCP mostly sitting out the war against the Japanese. When WW3 starts, we'll know, we won't be debating terminology and this Ukraine stuff is so far no more a candidate for WW3 than Vietnam or Afghanistan 80-89 was.
    – Italian Philosopher
    Commented Dec 10 at 23:05

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