World War III (Days Gone Past)

World War III, or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, was a worldwide, large-scale military conflict that occurred from 24 February 2022 to 1 November 2028. Involving most of the worlds countries consolidating into two massive military alliances - the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc - it was the largest and most widespread war in human history, with the mobilization of about 110 million personnel, surpassing that of its predecessor World War II. While not the deadliest, with just under 60 million deaths, the war was marked by its sheer brutality and extreme levels of violence, even by war's standards, including genocides, starvation, massacres, disease, and unprecedented use of weapons of mass destruction.
On 24 February 2022, Russia, backed by Belarus and the breakaway states of Donetsk, Luhansk, and Transnistria, invaded Ukraine after having amassed large numbers of military personnel near the Russo-Ukrainian border for months and claiming Ukraine "showed desire to join NATO and displayed irredentist views". Despite fierce resistance by the Ukrainians, the country was eventually and overrun with the Capture of Kyiv on 30 February. Tensions came to a head when Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered invasions of the Baltics and the southeastern Balkans by March. In a state of emergency, NATO declared war on Russia, effectively beginning the war in Europe. The conflict then expanded to include China and Iran who, in solidarity with their Russian allies and taking advantage of the chaos, began to push into neighboring countries such as Taiwan and Iraq respectively. Following the bloody Yì Jiàotú dà Túshā (Chinese: 异教徒大屠杀/English: "Massacre of the Infidels) against Taiwanese citizens, the decisive aerial Battle of Varena in Lithuania, the bombardment of several eastern Polish citizens, and the disastrous Battle of Kalingrad, Russia, China, and Iran formed the "Eastern Bloc" alliance, pairing with North Korea, Serbia, Syria, and Cuba, while NATO in response formed the "Western Bloc" in solidarity with Saudi Arabia, Israel, South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil.
In February of 2024, North Korea launched offensives into South Korea, effectively starting the proxy Second Korean War. While the war largely failed to escalate into a full-scale international war, the North Korean invasion forced UNSCON to be set into motion, and in response, Western Bloc countries in the region launched preemptive air strikes against North Korean military installations and nuclear missile sites, and began the invasion of North Korea, quickly securing large swathes of the country. However, on 16 March, Kim Jong-Un, Supreme Leader of North Korea, authorized the use of nuclear weapons, and struck the South Korean capital of Seoul. Millions of lives were lost, and many more were left dying from radiation poisoning. Despite this, the coalition managed to launch several counterattacks in the North, leaving the latter to retreat to the western seaboard. In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and Iran were at each others throats in a religious and ethnic conflict of their own between the Sunni and Shia Muslim populations. Saudi Arabia's oil wells, which were targeted retaliation for several flag border attacks, fueled the region's oil crisis that lead to famine in the region. In response, Iran, with Iranian-backed rebels in Lebanon, Iraq, and Palestine such as Hezbollah and Hamas, launched offensives against its western adversaries.
Russia and its European Eastern Bloc allies gained and lost large amounts of territory in Europe, which was locked in a back-and-forth stalemate, continuously assaulted by NATO forces. After losing the pivotal Battle of Pyongyang, and facing increasing revolutionary fervor by its evermore curious citizens, North Korea agreed to an unconditional surrender on 16 August 2025. In November, Iran took Dohuk and Arbil, two cities in northern Iraq, and in December, the city of Karbala, near Baghdad, was captured by Iran. However, despite its gains, Iran could not hold on to the latter two cities for long, and by February 2026, they were retaken by Western Bloc forces. On 13 May, 2026, after a strategic retreat, Operation All-In-All commenced in Eastern Europe, with the invasion of Russian-occupied territories by NATO forces, while China suffered reversals in occupied Taiwan. After concluding the war in Europe, including the Western Bloc occupation of the Baltics and formerly Eastern Bloc occupied Balkan territories and the execution of Vladimir Putin, attention was turned towards China and Iran. In February 2028, the Western Bloc attempted to capture Tehran, but Iranian troops were able to fight them back in the Battle of Qavasan, resulting in the death of a large number of Western Bloc troops. In April, two months after Iran and Hezbollah's joint capture of the Strait of Hormuz, Western Bloc troops invaded Iran. The war for eastern Iraq, however, was over on 10 June 2028, as Western Bloc troops secured Baghdad, following the withdrawal of Iranian forces from the south.
Refusing to back down, China kept fighting, although its navy at this point was crippled and it could no longer hold Taiwan. On 1 July, China launched a nuclear warhead towards the American overseas territory of Guam, killing over 200,000 people. The US quickly retaliated with its Strategic Bomber Force, which targeted Chinese cities and military bases. Although not as intensive as WWI or II, it was a devastating war for China, with the Chinese finally backing down on 30 October 2028.
== The alliances ==
=== Western Bloc ===
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=== Eastern Bloc ===
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== Background ==
=== United States ===
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=== Europe ===
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=== Asia ===
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== Pre-war events ==
=== Assassination of Qasem Soleimani ===
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=== Ukrainian Crisis ===
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=== Rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan ===
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=== Russian troop controversy ===
== Course of the war ==
=== 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine ===
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=== Baltic and Balkan campaigns ===
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=== Chinese Invasion of Taiwan - The Yì Jiàotú dà Túshā ===
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== Aftermath ==
=== Formal end of the war ===
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=== Peace treaties ===
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=== War crime trials ===
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=== Health effects ===
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== Technology ==
=== Cyberwarfare ===
=== Automated systems - electronic warfare ===
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=== Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) ===
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== War crimes ==
=== Genocide and ethnic cleansings ===
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==== China ====
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==== North Korea ====
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==== Israel ====
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=== Yì Jiàotú dà Túshā - Rape of Taiwan ===
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=== Markab Incidents ===
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=== Tehran Massacre ===
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=== 2025 Mexican Border Shooting ===
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=== Chemical and biological weapons in warfare ===
Although the use of chemical and biological weapons in warfare were outlawed in previous decades by the Chemical Weapons Convention (1993), that did not stop countries on both sides of the war from deploying them illegally. The use of chemical and biological weapons had begun on the front lines in both Europe and the Middle East during early 2023. Although not an official government agency, several independent media groups reported extensively on and broadcast the use of these illegal weapons, and how they were used against both soldiers and civilians alike. 
Chlorine, mustard, and phosgene gasses were used extensively, along with nerve agents such as anthrax and VX and vesicant (blister) agents. Its effects included lung searing, skin and muscle irritation, chemical burns and blisters, blindness, and death.
Although biological warfare was less frequent, it still occurred in isolated skirmishes of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. In 2026, the Dnieper River in Ukraine was irradiated by the Russians in order to deter a further advance from NATO. The operation was carried out by separatist collaborators and several Russian light infantry and special operations divisions. It included a mixture of Rickettsial bio-agents such as Q-fever and Typhus. 
== Support for the war ==
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== Opposition for the war ==
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== Conscription ==
=== United States ===
Although inactive since the Vietnam War (1955-1975), conscription in the United States (commonly known as the draft), was reinstated and employed various times throughout the war. The United States Department of Defense (USDOD) has announced it plans to reinstate the draft on July 1, 2022, in order to provide needed military personnel for domestic and overseas operations in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. All able-bodied men at birth from ages 18-25 were required to register for the draft. However, this was met with high degrees of opposition from young people, who protested and occasionally rioted throughout the country. The draft became a hotly-debated issue in both political and social circles. 
Former president Donald Trump had made several statements on this issue, including that the draft was necessary to the maintenance of the national safety and that "we will be able to beat them back with more soldiers, whether it's liked or not." By 2025, nearly 4 million men were registered. 
=== United Kingdom ===
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=== Canada ===
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=== Russia ===
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=== China ===
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=== North Korea ===
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== Diplomacy ==
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== Legacy and memory ==
=== Historiography ===
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=== Memorials ===
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=== Cultural memory ===
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=== Trauma ===
Many soldiers reportedly returned home from the war in utter shock, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health disorders, which manifested as various forms of severe depression, suicidal thoughts, schizophrenia, and other serious, sometimes fatal, symptoms. The symptoms of PTSD were attributed to psychological conditions and a lack of compassion toward their soldiers' mental anguish. Some found it difficult to readjust to normal society again, leaving them in a state where they were afraid of even going outside.
=== Economic effects ===
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=== Great Reform ===
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Category:War
Category:Wars
Category:World War III
Category:WWIII
Category:Nations
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