The Seven Years War: Crash Course World History #26

Hi, my name is John Green, This is Crash Course World History. Oh my gosh! Today we're going

to talk about war. Ah! Explosions everywhere!

So, traditionally, historians are pretty keen on wars, because they feature clearly delineated

beginnings, and middles, and ends, and because they always have a fair bit of death and drama

and mortally wounded generals who have great last words like

"Let us cross the river and rest under the shade of those trees,"

whereas the last words of, plague victims are always, like, "Unggggg."

Sorry, plague victims. As if you don't have enough troubles. Now you've got me teasing

you about your uninspired death throes.

Wars have easy whens, wheres, whos, and whys: 1861-1865. The United States. The North vs.

the South. To end slavery and save the Union.

Mr. Green, Mr. Green. Are you gonna show us the hidden complexities behind something we

already think we understand again?

Sorry me from the past, but yes. However, to placate you, here are some more explosions.

The 17th and 18th centuries saw a bunch of top-notch wars, but today we're going to focus

on the 7 Years War, also called the French and Indian War, because it was the first truly global war.

In fact, no less a historian than Winston Churchill called it "The first world war."

But we've been so Eurocentric here on Crash Course that all we are going to say about

the ENTIRE WAR IN EUROPE is that Prussia and Great Britain fought France and Austria, and

that the Austrian Hapsburgs wanted to win back Silesia, which they failed to do. THERE.

THAT'S ALL YOU GET, EUROPE.

So the Seven Years War lasted for...anyone...anyone...

Twenty three years.

I hate you, Me from the Past. But, as it happens, by sheer coincidence, you are not necessarily wrong.

[theme music]

So, the when: The Seven Years War began in 1756 and ended in 1763.

Unless you believe—as many historians do—that the 7 Years War lasted 23 years, because it

was really a continuation of the War for Austrian Succession.

Then you have the fact that much of the information in today's episode is taken from a book called,

"The Global Seven Years War: 1754-1763," a nine year period.

As for the who: It was mainly fought between the British and the French, seen here reenacting

the knife fight from either Beat It or West Side Story, depending on your age.

But some of the British were actually Americans, and both the British and the French were supported

by American Indians. And there was fighting in India between Indian Indians, the British, the French.

And as previously noted the French were fighting the Prussians and the British were fighting the Austrians.

The where: Europe, the continental U.S., the Caribbean Sea, off the cost of Africa, India.

Basically, the world.