What was ww1 called wile it was being fought?

Answer 1

It did not have a single commonly used name, at the time that the war was being fought. The name varied between nations involved. If you do a web search on the first use of terms for the war, then you get various names. Some British soldiers called it "the Kaiser's War", whereas many Germans, especially those serving in the navy, called it the "Weltkrieg" (Worldwar). German writers a dozen years before the war had used that term to refer to a hypothetical war in the future. You can find examples of people, at the time, trying to come up with a better name for "The War". There had been so many wars in Europe over the centuries that it was becoming confusing. The most commonly used terms by the British and Americans would be: "The European War" "The Great European War" "The Great War" "The World War" Later after the war's end, sometimes to be more specific, the Europeans would add the years "1914-1918" or "1914-1919" to the end of the above terms, such as the "The Great War of 1914-1918". Earlier in British history, the term "Great War" was used when referring to the Wars of Napoleon. Ironically the current most common name(s) for the war, "World War One" or "First World War" would not be established until the start of the next world war.