The World in FlamesIn the Seven Years' War (1756 1763), two European rivalriesbetween England and France and between Prussia and Austriacollided to spark a global conflagration. In the United States, it is known as the French and Indian War, a precursor to the Revolutionary War. In India, by contrast, it marked a new stage on the path toward British colonial rule. The war saw Spain's decline and Russia's rise; territories from Quebec to the Philippines changed hands.