World war, global war, and total war

A world war fought in many parts of the world is distinguished from a global conflict that spans the globe, though both labels are treated cautiously. Earlier conflicts such as the War of Jenkins' Ear displayed some of the same features, but the Seven Years' War joined them into a worldwide contest pursued by all the major parties. Britain moved from its customary Austrian connection toward Prussia, while France aligned with Austria and Russia. The consequences reached the American struggle for independence and Canada's political development. Prussia's rise and the broken alliance system opened an unsettled order that lasted, in this interpretation, into the nineteenth century.