The War of Defense, or World War III (Latin: Bellum Aegidis) was the third and most recent global military conflict. In essence, the war was a conflict between Socialism and Imperialism, the desire for rule by the people versus rule by an autocrat. The Confederacy of United Platonists considered it the last step in a World Revolution that would bring about everlasting world peace and prosperity. Their ideology required nothing less than an absolute hegemony for socialism.