“War is the engine of progress” is a well-known statement that is both terrible and truthful. Endless wars and conflicts constantly shook the world. Some wars have long faded into history, others are still fresh in memory, and still others are happening.
Today we offer you to take a short tour of the most bloody wars in history, which claimed millions of lives. We will not divide the victims into civilian and military, but indicate the total number. By the way, the exact number of victims of many conflicts is still not taken to name a single historian.
10
Second Congolese War (1998 - 2003)
The number of victims: 2.5 - 5 million people
Most people outside the African continent have heard little about this bloody conflict in the Congo. The war was also called the Great African War. The war was fought between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the insurgent coalition units. Basically, they fought for access to and control over mineral deposits. Considering the fact that the country has huge mineral reserves, both sides fought fiercely to the end.
The conflict ended in 2003 with a peace agreement, after which both sides were represented in the government. The great war was quiet, but smoldering centers remained in some regions, which even now flare up from time to time. Therefore, the Congo is considered a dangerous place for tourists.
By the way, Congo is one of the poorest countries in the world, a list of which you can find on our site thebiggest.ru.
9
The Thirty Years War (1618 - 1648)
The number of victims: 3 - 12 million people
Europe knew many conflicts on contradictions in faith, but this war went down in history as the bloodiest. The conflict began when a group of Catholic German states unleashed a war with a group of Protestant states in Europe. Everything flowed into a major war after the entry of the remaining European powers. Catholic countries such as Spain supported the Catholic side, and England, France, and others fought on the Protestant side. For 30 long years, the war claimed the lives of millions of people.
8
Napoleonic Wars (1803 - 1815)
The number of victims: 3.5 - 6 million people.
In fact, it was a whole chain of separate wars, but at the head of Napoleon. Therefore, it will be fair to group them in one war. After Napoleon came to power in France, other European countries declared war on him. It all started with the need to protect the French land, but Napoleon did not stop, but went on. He invaded neighboring countries, conquering Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, which forced the Russian Empire to enter into an alliance with other countries against him. After some time, England managed to liberate Spain, and then invaded France. Napoleon was defeated and was captured. He managed to escape and create a new army, but this time he was defeated. Thus ended this bloody conflict, which forever changed the map of Europe.
7
Civil war in Russia (1917 - 1922)
The number of victims: 5 - 9 million people
For several hundred years before the Civil War, the emperor ruled in Russia. The tsarist regime was overthrown by the revolution in 1917. With the departure of the monarch from the throne, the Russian people had to decide with which political system the country would go next. But different views provoked a civil war between different groups, each of which wanted to govern Russia in its own way. In the end, the Reds prevailed, who then created the Soviet Union. Other foreign powers, one way or another, intervened in the process of the Civil War, supporting moderate forces, but this was not enough.
6
Dungan Uprising (1862 - 1877)
The number of victims: 8 - 22 million people
Religious tension and disagreement often become the main cause of war. This may seem strange, but religion-based war has once been in China. The Dungans in China were Islamic groups that entered into a holy war against the imperial forces of China. The uprising was crushed, but by huge losses. The Dungans did not have a clear organization and did not have clear goals. Rebel leaders were killed, some fled the country.
5
World War I (1914 - 1918)
The number of victims: 20 million people
This confrontation is also called the Great War, or "war to end all wars." It was such a bloody conflict that it is even difficult for a modern person to imagine. Great powers and empires came together in a fierce battle to forever redraw the world map. In that conflict, the winner got everything, and the losers of the country disappeared forever. The Ottoman Empire disappeared, Austria-Hungary collapsed, and Germany was severely punished for its actions. During the First World War, there were several genocides against nationalities and other terrible consequences that will never be forgotten.
On our site thebiggest.ru there is very interesting material about the forgotten exploits of Russian soldiers during the First World War.
4
The rebellion of An Lushan (755 - 763 gg.)
The number of victims: 13 - 33 million people
Back to China again. It should be said that many wars with heavy losses took place precisely in China, since historically the country's population is larger than in other regions of the world. In addition, the Chinese land is rich and fertile, which also served as the cause of the struggle.
General An Lushan in 755 declared himself the true emperor of China and founded his state. In response, the Chinese emperor declared war and outlawed him. The uprising was crushed, but at the cost of heavy losses on both sides. The ruling dynasty suffered such losses that it greatly weakened towards the end of the uprising.
3
War of the Age of the Three Kingdoms (220 - 280 gg.)
The number of victims: 35 - 40 million people
And again, China. After the fall of the second ruling dynasty in China, three separate kingdoms formed, which claimed the title of legal successor to the last emperor. The kingdoms of Wu, Wei and Shu constantly fought among themselves to resolve this issue. This era was well shown in Chinese films about kung fu and the wars of schools and clans. None of the three kingdoms managed to seize power. They weakened and were defeated by the Jin Dynasty, which then ruled for many years.
2
The Taiping Rise (1850 - 1864)
The number of victims: 20 - 80 million people
In 1850, the Chinese emperor was challenged by a new dynasty, which created its own kingdom in the country. It was called the Kingdom of the Taiping. He was led by a Chinese general who converted to Christianity. Moreover, he declared himself the second coming of Jesus. The borders of his kingdom were isolated by the army of the emperor. Although the Kingdom of the Taiping was under the oppression of the emperor and was cut off from the world, the conflict dragged on for a long 14 years. The war ended only after the intervention of France and Great Britain, which spoke on the side of China.
1
World War II (1939 - 1945)
The number of victims: 50 - 80 million people
World War II, in fact, was the confrontation of evil empires with an alliance of good empires. The main factors of such huge sacrifices were death concentration camps, overt genocide and cruelty. Every major power in the world at that time was involved in this bloody war. Nazi Germany and their allies suffered a crushing defeat from the alliance of countries. Following the results of World War II, many changes were made in the world order. Also the result of the war was the first use of nuclear weapons.
Want to know about the biggest battles of World War II? Here you will find information about the most powerful battles.
Finally
I'd like to hear your opinion on modern views on the history of the most bloody wars. What events do you think should also be included in this article? We are waiting for your thoughts in the comments.
Author: Altenko Sergey