Brett Coster wrote: > >> The 1939-09-01 date for the start of WW2 is just >> a stupid convention; WW2 began _years_ before with >> the Japanese invasion of China, the Spanish Civil War, >> and this invasion of Ethiopia. >> > >WW2 was really WW1 Part 2. Apart from Italy and Japan, the same basic groups >faced off: Britain, France and Russia against Germany and Austria and >Hungary. Japan was one of the Allies in WW1, as was Italy, yet both aligned >themselves with Germany during the 1930s. Of course, Italy was a combatant >on Germany's side only from June 1940 to September 1943 unless you count the >puppet Northern Fascist government that fought on until May 45.. > I think there is an essential difference from WW1 to WW2. WW1 was just kings playing with their armies and alliances. WW2 was a war between two ideologies: totalitarianism against democracy [or a a cynic might say: State Capitalism against Megacorporations' Capitalism]
> >> But then I also criticize the "two" in WW2, which IMHO >> should be "five" or even more :-) > >Apart from Alexander the Great, I can't think of any other "world" wars, >that is, involving three or more continents. Please list. > (1) The Crusades (Europe, Africa, Asia) (2) The Colonial Expansion of Europe [in the XVI century] (Europe, Americas, Africa, Asia) (3) The 30 Year War [in the XVII century] (Europe, South America, Africa, Asia) (4) The British-France War of the XVIII century, cultimating with the Napoleonic Wars (Europe, North America, Africa, Asia) Alberto Monteiro
