Commentators have expressed concern that the war in Ukraine might lead to World War III since Russia’s invasion of the country. NBC News quoted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as saying in mid-March that a third global war had “actually begun.” Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuck went a step farther and said that “World War Three… has already started.” Journalists in the West have followed suit, with Bret Stephens saying, “This is how World War III starts” and the British press questioning whether “World War 3 [is] now a reality in Europe?”
These statements seem grossly inflated at first glance. There were millions of casualties on all sides during the two world wars, but Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine is a struggle between only two countries. There is no analogue to England and France declaring war on Germany two days after it invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, despite international declarations of sympathy for Ukrainian soldiers. The influx of western volunteers into Ukraine is reminiscent of the Spanish Civil War, which lasted from 1936 to 1939 but was not a part of World War II.
So, how might a third world war look?
A “global war” idea has roots in the past and today, and a Third World War will only happen when people accept it has.
As long as the battle stays inside its existing boundaries, the war’s name will be a political argument.
Before the outbreak of Global War I, the term “world war” had been coined.
When Servia received the Austrian ultimatum in July 1914, the American media warned that “Europe would enter a world war” if Servia did not comply.
The French were worried about a “guerre mondiale,” while the Germans dreaded a “Weltkrieg.”
Global war II
Historians and viewers have used a wide variety of phrases to characterize World War II.
In American media, references to “world war warriors” and “the ongoing global fight” were common.
English and French pundits used “Great War” and “La Grande Guerre” at the time.
Lenin called the Russian Revolution a “world war” and “capitalist war.”
All countries could describe the conflict in their own words, giving it weight and purpose.
World War I didn’t begin until 1939, when a new war began.
Both phrases were made up before the fighting started, just like World War II and the “Second World War.”
American intellectuals seeking a harsh peace for Germany in 1918 say it must not acquire “sinew for a second world war.”
The term “World War II” didn’t catch on for a long time. Many Europeans did not refer to the fight as a “numerical war” during the period. “Never in the realm of human strife was so much due by so many to so few,” Churchill said in a famous 1940 address, referring to “British pilots who, undeterred by odds… are reversing the tide of World War I.” The term “World War II” was only sanctified in Western awareness after 1945, with the benefit of hindsight.
Conclusion
In contrast, the potential of a third global war first surfaced during World War II. William Shirer, Rex Stout, and Emil Ludwig founded the Society to Prevent World War III in 1944.
Many worried after 1945. In the Korean, Cuban, and Vietnam conflicts, journalists feared a third global war.
After the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1980, newspapers ran headlines like “World War III?”
The potential for a Third World War has been used on several occasions to prevent regional wars from becoming global catastrophes.
Of fact, none of these worries came to fruition at all. Even if “World War III” isn’t in any history books, it’s still a terrifying possibility.
It’s possible that the gap between reality and imagination might be causally related.
The constant warnings of World War III may have prevented it from happening. There may be a price to pay, though, for adopting this rhetorical position. Repeated exposure to information about a potential danger might make people less fearful, increasing the odds that it will never materialize.
Risky behavior may be encouraged by it. People who think World War III has started in Ukraine want Western support for an imminent confrontation with Russia. This allegation, amplified by social media, might lead to nuclear escalation, the reverse of what others are attempting to avoid.
History books won’t record World War III until it actually happens. Obviously, we need to hope and pray that this doesn’t happen and that the notion continues to prosper. If this were to occur, it might cause widespread destruction. I can’t predict the tactics of the next global conflict, but I can say with confidence that rocks will play a crucial part in the fifth. In 1948, Albert Einstein made a now-famous prediction.
Muhammad Saad is a Freelance Article, Blog, and Copywriter. He provides his services on Fiverr under the username @saadiqbal599.
