Seven Years War
It is universally understood that the “First” World War started in 1914 and ended in November 1918. It has been called a World War because it saw action on land in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with some minor actions with the Japanese taking some Pacific Islands from the Germans. Naval actions were fought in most seas. But most of all because it involved countries from every continent.
There is, however, an argument for nominating the Seven Years War as the first real “World War”. If one criteria is where actions were fought, then it was certainly more wide ranging that WW1. Land engagements were fought in North America, Asia, the Philippines, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean with naval actions being fought in support of the land campaigns. In terms of belligerents, if you count the colonies of the major powers involved, you would get a similar geographical spread.
Both WW1 and the Seven Years War had Europe as the main theatre of operations though North America saw significant campaigns as there were in India and the Caribbean which were not included in the 1914-18 version.
As regards the outcomes of the conflicts, it could be argued that the Seven Years War had a much greater impact upon the balance of power than that of WW1. Canada was taken from the French, Florida was taken from the Spanish and England gained a much stronger base in India, having virtually eliminated France’s influence in the area. In 1918, Russia had dissolved into chaos but still existed, as had Germany. The main casualty was the Austro-Hungarian Empire which had been tottering before 1914. The USA, who could have really upset the balance of power, instead withdrew back into isolation.
From a British perspective, the Seven Year’s War was of tremendous importance. It established Georgian Britain as major power, not only on land but also with the ascendency of the Royal Navy over its two main rivals, the French and Spanish. It saw the expansion of the Army to the largest it had ever been and would be until 1794 and, as importantly, provided the frame work that would allow for massive mobilization. This can be illustrated by comparing the number if Infantry Regiments raised for the Seven Years War and the subsequent American Revolutionary War in the table below:
| Summary | 7 Years War | American Revolution |
| Total Raised | 78 | 46 |
| Disbanded | 53 | 42 |
| Broken | 0 | 1 |
| Retained | 24 | 3 |
| Where Raised | ||
| America | 3 | 7 |
| Scotland | 12 | 10 |
| Ireland | 4 | 5 |
| Wales | 1 | 1 |
| England | 58 | 18 |
| Total at outbreak | 53 | 73 |
| Total at end of War | 131 | 119 |
| Regts retained After demobilisation | 70 | 74 |
British Army Historical Database 