Who determines a war is a WORLD War?

The term, The First World War, was invented by the author of a book with that title in 1933. The term, World War 1, was invented by Time Magazine in 1939. The publishers of these works allowed the author's descriptions to define the phrase, World War.

Formal definitions (descriptions) now abound, not all of which are in strict agreement with one another. So, to understand the definition of world war, the event, itself, must be understood. When it is, the definition of the term, world war, will be complete.

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The concept, or idea of a world war goes back to the first decade of the 20th century. It was an idea that was developed in an environment of fear. Countries and people all over the world were worried that a European conflict would involve the entire world.

The idea grew along with the fear until 1914, with the Austro-Hungarian Empire's invasion of Serbia. By the end of 1914, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, the Ottoman Empire, and others were fighting. All the colonies of these parties became embroiled as well. Through the course of the war, more countries and more territory became involved in the conflict. Then, in 1917, with Russia forced to leave the field because of its own civil war, the US entered the war. Suddenly the Western Hemisphere, and by this time, all the major powers of the world were at war. The notion of a global conflict, now went unchallenged. Worst fears had been realized.

The fact preceded the definition. The definition was simply an explanation of the fact that all the major powers and a large portion of the world's land masses were, in one way or another, involved in the Great War (World War 1).

This was the war that was to end all war.

There were world wide conflicts, in terms of land mass, prior to World War 1. They were thought of, and described, in terms of the nationalities of the major combatants. The fact that they were fought over wide spread territories did not, at the time, and lacking the element of fear, factor into the lexicon of those who were fighting, observing, or reporting on these wars.