The war that erupted in the Ohio valley in 1754 sparked an enormous shift in political and economic relations in colonial North America. What began as a small-scale, regional conflict expanded into a series of brutal and lengthy wars around the world. The French and Indian War in North America, known as the Seven Years’ War in Great Britain and Europe, had the greatest impact. It led to a dramatic expansion of British territory in North America and to increasing demands from American colonists for more control over their own lives.