The largest wars in the history of mankind in terms of the number of deaths.
The earliest war known to have been excavated took place approximately 14,000 years ago.
It is impossible to calculate the exact number of victims, because in addition to the death of soldiers on the battlefield, there is the death of civilians from the effects of weapons of war, as well as the death of civilians from the consequences of hostilities, for example, from hunger, hypothermia, and disease.
Below is a list of the largest wars by the number of victims.
The reasons for the wars indicated below are very different, but the number of victims exceeds millions.
1. Civil War in Nigeria (Biafra War of Independence). The death toll is over 1,000,000.
The main conflict was between the government forces of Nigeria and the separatists of the Republic of Biafra. The self-proclaimed republic was supported by a number of European states, among them, such as France, Portugal, and Spain. Nigeria was supported by England and the USSR. The UN did not recognize the self-proclaimed republic. Weapons and finances were sufficient on both sides. The main victims of the war were the civilian population, who died of starvation and various diseases.
2. Imjin War. The death toll is over 1,000,000.
1592 - 1598. Japan made 2 attempts to invade the Korean Peninsula in 1592 and 1597. Both invasions did not lead to the capture of the territory. The first invasion by Japan involved 220,000 soldiers, several hundred combat and transport ships.
The Korean troops were defeated, but at the end of 1592, China transferred part of the army to Korea, but was defeated; in 1593, China transferred another part of the army, which managed to achieve some success. Peace was made. The second invasion in 1597 was not successful for Japan and in 1598 hostilities were stopped.
3. Iran–Iraq War (death toll: 1 million)
1980-1988 years. The longest war in the 20th century. The war began with the invasion of Iraq on September 22, 1980. The war can be called positional - trench warfare, using small arms. Chemical weapons were widely used in the war. The initiative passed from one side to another, so in 1980 the successful offensive of the Iraqi army was stopped, and in 1981 the initiative passed to the side of Iraq. On August 20, 1988, a truce was signed.
4. Korean War (death toll: 1.2 million)
1950-1953 years. War between North and South Korea. The war started with an invasion North Korea to the territory South Korea. Despite the support of North Korea Soviet Union, Stalin opposed the war, because he feared that this conflict could lead to World War 3 and even nuclear war. On July 27, 1953, a ceasefire agreement was signed.
5. Mexican Revolution (death toll between 1,000,000 and 2,000,000)
1910-1917. The revolution fundamentally changed the culture of Mexico and the policies of the government. But at that time the population of Mexico was 15,000,000 people and the losses during the revolution were significant. The prerequisites for the revolution were very different, but as a result of the valuable millions of victims, Mexico strengthened its sovereignty and weakened its dependence on the United States.
6. The conquests of Chuck's army. First half of the 19th century. (death toll 2,000,000 people)
The local ruler Chaka (1787 - 1828) founded the state - KwaZulu. He raised and armed a large army, which conquered disputed territories. The army plundered and ravaged the tribes in the occupied territories. The victims were the local Aboriginal tribes.
7. Goguryeo-Sui wars (death toll 2,000,000)
These wars include a series of wars between the Chinese Sui Empire and the Korean state of Goguryeo. The wars took place on the following dates:
· war of 598
· war of 612
· war of 613
· war of 614
In the end, the Koreans managed to repel the advance of the Chinese troops and win.
The total number of human casualties is much higher because civilian casualties are not taken into account.
8. Wars of religion in France (death toll between 2,000,000 and 4,000,000)
The religious wars in France are also known as the Huguenot wars. Occurred between 1562 and 1598. They arose on religious grounds as a result of a conflict between Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots). In 1998, the Edict of Nantes was adopted, which legalized freedom of religion. On August 24, 1572, Catholics staged a mass beating of Protestants, first in Paris, and then throughout France. It happened on the eve of the feast of St. Barthomew, this day went down in history as St. Bartholomew's night, on that day more than 30,000 people died in Paris.
9. Second Congo War (2,400,000 to 5,400,000 dead)
The deadliest war in the history of modern Africa, also known as the African World War and Great War Africa. The war lasted from 1998 to 2003, 9 states and more than 20 separate armed groups participated. The main victims of the war are the civilian population, which died due to disease and starvation.
10. Napoleonic Wars(death toll from 3,000,000 to 6,000,000 people)
The Napoleonic Wars are an armed conflict between France, led by Napoleon Bonaparte, and a number of European states, including Russia. Thanks to Russia, Napoleon's army was defeated. Different sources give different data on the victims, but the largest number scientists believe that the number of victims, including civilians from hunger and epidemics, reaches 5,000,000 people.
11. Thirty Years' War (Death toll between 3,000,000 and 11,500,000)
1618 - 1648. The war began as a conflict between Catholics and Protestants in the crumbling Holy Roman Empire, but a number of other states were gradually drawn into it. The number of victims from Thirty Years' War, according to most scientists, is 8,000,000 people.
12. Chinese Civil War (death toll 8,000,000)
The Chinese Civil War was fought between forces loyal to the Kuomintang (a political party of the Republic of China) and forces loyal to the Communist Party of China. The war began in 1927 and essentially ended when the main active fighting ceased in 1950. Although historians give the end date of the war as December 22, 1936, the conflict eventually led to the formation of two de facto states, the Republic of China (now known as Taiwan) and China People's Republic in mainland China. During the war, both sides carried out massive atrocities.
13. Russian Civil War (death toll between 7,000,000 and 12,000,000)
1917 - 1922. The struggle for power of various political directions, armed groups. But basically the two largest and most organized forces fought - the Red Army and White Army. The civil war in Russia is considered the greatest national catastrophe in Europe, in the entire history of its existence. The main victims of the war are the civilian population.
14. Wars led by Tamerlane (number of victims from 8,000,000 to 20,000,000 people)
In the second half of the 14th century, Tamerlane waged cruel, bloody conquests in Western, South, Central Asia, in southern Russia. Tamerlane became the most powerful ruler in the Muslim world, conquering Egypt, Syria and the Ottoman Empire. Historians believe that 5% of the total population of the Earth died at the hands of his soldiers.
15. Dungan uprising (number of victims from 8,000,000 to 20,400,000 people)
1862 - 1869. The Dungan uprising is a war on ethnic and religious grounds between the Han (a Chinese ethnic group originally from East Asia) and Chinese Muslims. At the head of the rebels against the existing government were the spiritual mentors of Xinjiao, who declared jihad unfaithful.
16. Conquest of the North and South America(number of victims from 8,400,000 to 148,000,000 people)
1492 - 1691. During the 200 years of colonization of America, tens of millions of the local population were killed European colonizers. However, there is no exact number of victims, since there are no initial estimates of the original size of the indigenous population of America. The conquest of America is the largest extermination of the indigenous population by other peoples in history.
17. An Lushan rebellion (number of victims from 13,000,000 to 36,000,000 people)
755 - 763 AD Rebellion against the Tang Dynasty. According to scientists, up to two children of the entire population of China could die during this conflict.
18. First World War(number of victims 18,000,000 people)
1914-1918 years. War between groups of states in Europe and their allies. The war claimed 11,000,000 servicemen who died directly during the fighting. 7,000,000 civilian population died during the war.
19. Taiping Rebellion (20,000,000 - 30,000,000 casualties)
1850 - 1864. Revolt of peasants in China. The Taiping Rebellion spread throughout China against the Manchu Qing Dynasty. With the support of England and France, the Qing troops brutally suppressed the rebels.
20. Manchu conquest of China (25,000,000 casualties)
1618 - 1683 years. Qing Dynasty war, to conquer territories of the Ming Dynasty.
As a result of long wars and various battles, the Manchu dynasty managed to conquer almost all the strategic territories of China. The war claimed tens of millions human lives.
21. Sino-Japanese War (25,000,000 - 30,000,000 casualties)
1937 - 1945. War between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. Separate fighting started in 1931. The war ended with the defeat of Japan with the help of allied forces, mainly the USSR. The United States launched 2 nuclear strikes on Japan, destroying the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On September 9, 1945, the government of the Republic of China accepted the surrender from the commander of Japanese troops in China, General Okamura Yasuji.
22. Wars of the Three Kingdoms (number of victims 36,000,000 - 40,000,000 people)
220-280 AD Not to be confused with war (England, Scotland and Ireland between 1639 and 1651). The war of three states - Wei, Shu and Wu for complete power in China. Each side tried to unite China under its command. The bloodiest period in the history of China, which led to millions of victims.
23. Mongol conquests (number of victims 40,000,000 - 70,000,000 people)
1206 - 1337 raids on the territories of Asia and of Eastern Europe with the formation of the state Golden Horde. The raids were distinguished by their cruelty. The Mongols spread the bubonic plague over vast territories, from which people died, not having immunity to this disease.
24. World War II (number of victims 60,000,000 - 85,000,000 people)
The most brutal war in the history of mankind, when people were destroyed on a racial and ethnic basis with the help of technical devices. The extermination of peoples was organized by the rulers of Germany and their allies, led by Hitler. Up to 100,000,000 servicemen fought on the battlefields on both sides. With the decisive role of the USSR, fascist Germany and its allies were defeated.
War - from the mere mention of this word, the soul becomes anxious. Even if a person has never found himself in the center of any military events, but simply watched a movie about the war on TV, he already understands how creepy and scary it is.
As civilization developed, the methods of warfare also developed, and if at the beginning it was possible to kill 10 people with a bow, and then carry off the legs yourself, now progress has reached the destruction of huge cities with a single bomb.
It is worth considering, what will be the consequences of such developments in technology? But the world cannot live without wars and never could, tools are becoming more and more improved, and people are becoming more and more vulnerable.
5th place: Napoleonic wars from 1799 to 1815
Napoleon Bonaparte is the great French commander who came to power in 1799 to conquer the whole world and raise France from its knees. However, even before he came to power, he drew up a plan to conquer the world and began to implement it. As a result of which the wars of the Third (1803-1805), Fourth (1806-1807), Fifth Coalitions (1808-1809) and Patriotic War in 1812, led to colossal losses of human lives, about 3.5 million, but even despite this, Napoleon failed to realize his plan and his army was destroyed at the Battle of Waterloo. I had to return home with nothing.
4th place: Civil war in Russia in the period from 1917 to 1923
The overthrow of the tsar for Russia became very difficult and in truth troubled times. It’s one thing when an enemy attacks your country and you need to defend your homeland, but it’s another thing when you are attacked by people who yesterday were your neighbors in the yard, and today they changed their political opinion and became your enemies, this is exactly what happened in Russia. The country was divided into reds (for a new order - democracy) and whites (for old order- monarchy). With the most conservative estimates, 5.5 million people died in the civil war, but these are such average figures that it is difficult to judge their reliability.
3rd place: World War I from 1914 to 1918
This war received its name after the end of the Second World War, and at that time it was called the Great War or the Great Patriotic War. The prerequisite for the outbreak of hostilities was the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand by a certain terrorist student from Bosnia. After that, it was not possible to establish peace for another 4 years. During this war, about 11 million people died and such great empires as Russian, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, German collapsed.
2nd place: Wars of the Mongol Empire 13-15 centuries
The Mongol-Tatar yoke is an expression that terrified the people who lived at that time. It was truly a state with a territory that is even difficult to imagine - 24 million square meters, and it's still, plus minus. For such a considerable period of time, about 17% of the population died on earth. These are amazing numbers, but the Mongolian state ceased to exist, and with it the war in 1480, when, under the Grand Duke Ivan 3, the Muscovite state was completely freed from the Mongol-Tatar oppression.
1st place: World War II from 1939 to 1945
The most terrible war on Earth, the bloodiest, most cruel and unprincipled. Almost all states on the planet took part in this war (62 out of 73 existing at that time). The war unleashed by Nazi Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, was a disaster for the entire planet.
Battles were fought in the air, at sea, on land. Wherever it was possible to fight, the Nazis visited, built concentration camps, work camps, prisons, killed millions of people as unworthy to live on earth. Fascist and Nazi theories were based on clearing the world of subhumans. And, if we take into account the total human losses during this war, then it’s hard to even imagine the numbers - it’s 65 million people, the lion’s share of this amount was made up of citizens of the Soviet Union.
This war was the most destructive in material and domestic terms. It took more than one decade to restore countries after it, and overwork of people. Also, this is the first war in which atomic weapons were used as weapons of mass destruction.
01/04/2016 03/05/2019 TanyaVU 748
There are wars that have gone down in history forever, about which dozens of films have been made and many books have been written. And there are those who have not gone down in history, at least in history for the broad masses. This is due not to a small number of victims, but to the “quality” of these victims. After all, it's one thing when a European dies - it's a tragedy. And quite another - if somewhere in Africa "drank" a couple of million people. Who cares about them. But it still has to be up to them. Ignoring atrocities and massacres is no better than these atrocities themselves. This is silent complicity. Consider some of the bloodiest and most hushed up wars from the recent past.
1. Second Congolese or Great African War
The most bloody war of the 21st century: one way or another, more than twenty states and countless all kinds of fighters "for all the best" took part in it. The war, which began as an armed rebellion of another African general, very quickly grew into an international conflict, eventually affecting most of the entire continent.
It is believed that the active phase lasted from 1998 to 2002, although it has not completely stopped until now. But even in 4 years, her results are stunning. Over 5 million people died; how many had to leave the country or leave their homes is unknown, no one simply counted them, because this is Africa, but for sure we are talking about several million. More than 500 thousand women were raped (by women in those parts they mean any female person, regardless of age). That is, they raped and maimed, among other things, "women" of 5-7 years of age, and these are not isolated cases, but the usual practice of that war.
In general, the figures of losses and participating countries are comparable to the result of the First World War. If we take the statistics specifically for the Congo, then every tenth inhabitant died.
2 Sudanese Civil War
The war that could not happen. Absolutely every interest imaginable came into conflict. The North was at war with the South because they are different ethnic groups, different religious groups, different geography. The north is predominantly desert or semi-desert; The south, on the contrary, is almost all "green" - with fertile soil and large oil reserves.
In this war, child soldiers were actively used. 10-12-year-old children were recruited into the army from both sides, because the child agrees to simple answers like "These are enemies, they are bad." That answer is enough to kill. Although usually they also added a portion of drugs to beat off fear and all sorts of doubts. Over 50,000 children were recruited during the war; what atrocities they are capable of in such a state - you can imagine. Naturally, there are no rehabilitation centers provided. The conflict resulted in 2 million deaths, more than 4 million refugees and the emergence of the youngest of the recognized states - South Sudan (it is only 7 years old). Southerners defended their independence and oil, only the North controls all oil pipelines, and 50% of the population continues to starve.
3 Colombian Civil War
The war in Colombia began with the fact that in 1948 the liberals quarreled with the conservatives, and the communists seized the moment. It ended with the drug cartels becoming the most powerful force in the country. However, this war is not yet completely over.
The most famous figure of the war is the FARC - communist partisans, who gathered about 20 thousand "bayonets", but this is far from the only such grouping. There were, for example, desperate guys "M-19" who in 1985 seized the Palace of Justice and took hostage about 300 people, among whom were all members of the Supreme Court of Colombia. As a result, the palace was almost completely destroyed, 13 judges were killed, out of 35 members of M-19, only two managed to survive. Subsequently, the group began to cooperate with the Medellin cartel and legalized in political system. Sounds absurd, but that's the way it is.
It is too early to consider the war over, even despite the government’s truce with the main enemy in the face of the FARC, because on January 21, 2019, another communist group - ANO - committed a terrorist attack in the capital, saying that this was a response for the attack on their bases on Christmas. A year earlier, they also blew up an oil pipeline. In total, almost 300,000 people died during the war years, and more than 5 million became refugees.
4. War of the Triple Alliance
One of the most devastating wars on a country-wide scale. From 1864 to 1870 Paraguay fought against Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. The country professed the path of self-isolation under the wise leadership of the beloved leader of the people, Francisco Lopez. The usual South American dictatorial regime.
Relations between Paraguay and Brazil grew into something more after Paraguay seized a Brazilian gold ship. Perhaps this gold was needed to make up for " wise government»beloved leader. In general, one way or another, Paraguay turned out to be alone against three neighbors, almost completely surrounded. At the end of the war, Paraguay lost half of its territory, and 70% of the entire male population died in battle.
5. Genocide in Rwanda
An attempted genocide in Rwanda, and "genocide" is not a red word here - it was a real attempt to exterminate an entire people. Rwanda was home to two of the largest ethnic groups, the Hutu and the Tutsi. There were more of the latter, but during the colonial period it so happened that the Hutus were much higher in the hierarchy. They occupied almost all the major political and military posts; these positions continued after independence.
After the departure of the whites, the Tutsis begin their struggle for rights, they also want to receive prestigious positions, and there are many of them. The small group of Hutu, of course, did not like it. Imagine the following picture: you are driving somewhere in a car and you hear how on the radio they call to cut you and people of your nationality. It happens every day: announcers tell you where to get weapons, why you need to be cut and how to do it best. And then they start killing you and everyone like you. Just like that, for no particular reason.
The Rwandan "Radio of a Thousand Hills" has become a household name: it is a term for aggressive propaganda in the media. The result of this propaganda is a million people killed in three and a half months. That's 300,000 a month, 10,000 a day, almost 400 people an hour.
6. Ambazonia
This conflict does not quite fit the list (it is not bloody), but it is happening right now and has every prospect of becoming one. Ambazonia is a rebellious region in Cameroon that has declared independence. They have their own government there, their own flags and even their own passports (of course, not recognized by anyone). Small skirmishes with the military of Cameroon occur regularly, and their number is on the rise, as well as the number of corpses. Classical African interests are touched upon: another ethnic group lives in Ambazonia, and even speaks English, unlike the French Cameroon. In addition, some neighboring states are interested in the escalation of the conflict.
The history of mankind is the history of wars. Swiss Jean-Jacques Babel calculated that in the entire history from 3500 BC. and to this day, humanity has lived peacefully for only 292 years.
But wars were different. It is often difficult to estimate the number of those who died in a war, but if we take the minimum numbers of loss estimates, the picture is as follows.
10. Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815)
The wars that Napoleon Bonaparte waged with various states of Europe from 1799 to 1815 are usually called the Napoleonic Wars. To redistribution political map Europe, a gifted commander began even before he made a coup on 18 Brumaire and became First Consul. Hanover campaign, the War of the Third Coalition or the Russian-Austrian-French War of 1805, the War of the Fourth Coalition, or the Russian-Prussian-French War of 1806-1807, which ended with the famous Peace of Tilsit, the War of the Fifth Coalition, or the Austro-French War of 1809, Patriotic the war of 1812 and the war of the Sixth Coalition of European Powers against Napoleon and, finally, the campaign of the Hundred Days era, which ended with the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, claimed the lives of at least 3,5 million people. Many historians double this figure.
9. Russian Civil War (1917-1923)
In the civil war that followed the 1917 revolution in Russia, more people died than in all the Napoleonic wars: at least 5,5 million people, and according to bolder estimates, all 9 million. And although these losses amounted to less than half a percent of the world's population, for our country the war between the Reds and the Whites had the most severe consequences. No wonder Anton Ivanovich Denikin canceled all awards in his army - what awards in a fratricidal war? And, by the way, it is in vain to think that the Civil War ended in 1920 with the Crimean evacuation and the fall of the White Crimea. In fact, the Bolsheviks managed to suppress the last pockets of resistance in Primorye only in June 1923, and the fight against the Basmachi in Central Asia dragged on until the early forties.
8. Dungan uprising (1862)
In 1862, the so-called Dungan uprising against the Qing Empire began in northwestern China. Chinese and non-Chinese Muslim national minorities - Dungans, Uyghurs, Salars - revolted, according to Bolshaya Soviet Encyclopedia, against the national oppression of the Chinese-Manchu feudal lords and the Qing dynasty. English-speaking historians do not fully agree with this and see the origins of the uprising in racial and class antagonism and in the economy, but not in religious strife and rebellion against the ruling dynasty. Be that as it may, but which began in May 1862 in Weinan County, Shaanxi Province, the uprising spread to the provinces of Gansu and Xinjiang. There was no single headquarters of the uprising, and in the war of all against all, according to various estimates, it suffered from 8 up to 12 million people. As a result, the uprising was brutally suppressed, and the surviving rebels were sheltered Russian empire. Their descendants still live in Kyrgyzstan, South Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
7. Ai Lushan Rebellion (8th century AD)
The era of the Tang Dynasty is traditionally considered in China to be the period of the highest power of the country, when China was far ahead of the contemporary countries of the world. And the civil war at that time was to match the country - grandiose. In world historiography, it is called the Ai Lushan uprising. Thanks to the location of Emperor Xuanzong and his beloved concubine Yang Guifei, the Turk (or Sogdian) in the Chinese service, Ai Lushan concentrated enormous power in the army in his hands - under his command were 3 of the 10 border provinces of the Tang Empire. In 755, Ai Lushan rebelled and the following year proclaimed himself emperor of the new Yan Dynasty. And although already in 757 the sleeping leader of the uprising was stabbed to death by his trusted eunuch, it was possible to pacify the rebellion only by February 763. The number of victims staggers the imagination: according to the smallest account, died 13 million people. And if you believe the pessimists and assume that the population of China decreased at that time by 36 million people, then you have to admit that the rebellion of Ai Lushan reduced the population of the world at that time by more than 15 percent. In this case, if you count by the number of victims, it was the largest armed conflict in the history of mankind until World War II.
6. Firstworld war (1914-1918)
The hero of Francis Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby called it "a belated migration of the Teutonic tribes." It was called the war against war, the Great War, the European War. The name with which she lived in history was coined by the military columnist for The Times, Colonel Charles Repington: The First World War.
The starting shot of the world meat grinder was the shot in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. From that day until the armistice on November 11, 1918, died by the most modest measure 15 million. If you come across the number 65 million, don’t be alarmed: it also included all those who died from the Spanish flu, the most massive flu pandemic in the history of mankind. In addition to the mass of victims, the result of World War I was the liquidation of four empires: Russian, Ottoman, German and Austria-Hungary.
5. Wars of Tamerlane (14th century)
Remember Vasily Vereshchagin's painting "The Apotheosis of War"? So, originally it was called "The Triumph of Tamerlane", and all because the great eastern commander and conqueror loved to build pyramids from human skulls. I must say that there was no shortage of material: for 45 years aggressive campaigns lame Timur - in Persian Timur-e-Lyang, and in our opinion Tamerlane - put, no less, more than 3.5 percent of the population the globe second half of the 14th century. Minimum - 15 million, or even all 20. Wherever he just did not go: Iran, Transcaucasia, India, the Golden Horde, Ottoman Empire– the interests of iron chrome stretched widely. Why "iron"? But because the name Timur, or rather Temur, is translated from the Turkic languages as "iron". By the end of Tamerlane's reign, his empire stretched from Transcaucasia to Punjab. Emir Timur did not manage to conquer China, although he tried - death interrupted his campaign.
4. Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864)
In fourth place is again China, which is not surprising: the country is inhabited. And again, the times of the Qing Empire, that is, turbulent: the opium wars, the Dungan uprising, the Yihetuan movement, the Xinhai revolution ... And the most bloody uprising of the Taipings, which claimed lives by the most conservative estimates 20 million people. The indiscreet increase this figure to 100 million, that is, up to 8% of the world's population. The uprising that began in 1850 was essentially a peasant war - disenfranchised Chinese peasants rose up against the Manchu Qing dynasty. The goals were the most benevolent: to overthrow the Manchus, drive out foreign colonialists and create a kingdom of freedom and equality - the Taiping heavenly kingdom, where the very word Taiping means "Great Tranquility". The uprising was led by Hong Xiuquan, who decided that he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ. But in a Christian way, that is, mercifully, it did not work out, although the Taiping Kingdom was created in South China, and its population reached 30 million. The "hairy bandits", so called because they rejected the braids imposed on the Chinese by the Manchus, occupied big cities, foreign states got involved in the war, uprisings began in other parts of the empire ... The uprising was suppressed only in 1864, and then only with the support of the British and French.
3. The capture of China by the Manchu dynasty
You will laugh, but ... Again the Qing dynasty, this time the era of the conquest of power in China, 1616-1662. 25 million victims, or almost five percent of the world's inhabitants - this is the price of creating an empire founded in 1616 by the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan in Manchuria, that is, present-day northeastern China. Less than three decades later, all of China, part of Mongolia and a large piece of Central Asia were under its rule. The Chinese Ming Empire weakened and fell under the blows of the Great Pure State - Da Qing-guo. What was won with blood held out for a long time: the Qing Empire was destroyed by the Xinhai Revolution of 1911-1912, the six-year-old emperor Pu Yi abdicated the throne. However, he will still be destined to lead the country - the puppet state of Manchukuo, created by the Japanese invaders on the territory of Manchuria and existed until 1945.
2. Wars of the Mongol Empire (13-15 centuries)
Historians call the Mongol Empire a state that emerged in the 13th century as a result of the conquests of Genghis Khan and his successors. Its territory was the largest in world history and stretched from the Danube to the Sea of Japan and from Novgorod to Southeast Asia. The area of the empire is still amazing - about 24 million square kilometers. The number of people who died during the period of its formation, existence and collapse will also not leave indifferent: according to the most optimistic estimates, it is no less 30 million. Pessimists count all 60 million. True, we are talking about a significant historical period - from the first years of the XIII century, when Temuchin united the warring nomadic tribes into a single Mongolian state and received the title of Genghis Khan and up to standing on the Ugra in 1480, when the Muscovite state under the Grand Duke Ivan III was completely freed from Mongol-Tatar yoke. During this time, from 7.5 to more than 17 percent of the world's population died.
1. World War II (1939-1945)
The most terrible records are held by the Second World War. It is also the bloodiest - the total number of its victims is carefully estimated at 40 million, and carelessly in all 72. It is also the most destructive: the total damage of all the warring countries exceeded the material losses from all previous wars combined and is considered equal to one and a half, or even two trillion dollars. This war, and the most, so to speak, world war - 62 states out of 73 that existed at that moment on the planet, or 80% of the world's population, participated in it in one form or another. The war was on the ground, in the sky and at sea - the fighting was fought on three continents and in the waters of four oceans. It was the only conflict so far in which nuclear weapons were used.
Throughout its history, mankind has been in a state of continuous war. Every year, conflicts arise that are resolved not with the help of words and negotiations, but with the help of weapons and the deaths of thousands of innocent people. The struggle is for territory, natural and human resources. IN chronological order starting from the most ancient and ending with the last major war, we list and describe a little the terrible pages of the history of the globe.
Rebellion of Ai Lushan (755-763)
For a long time, the most bloody war in the history of mankind was the civil war in China. Known as the Ai Lushan Mutiny. During this time, China was ruled by the Tang Dynasty. In the service of the emperor was Ai Lushan, who achieved influence in several border provinces.
In 755, he raised a rebellion against the current ruler and proclaimed himself the new emperor. Despite the fact that in 757 the leader of the rebels was killed in a dream, his comrades-in-arms in the struggle for power. They were able to completely suppress the uprising in the country 8 years after the outbreak of unrest in February 763. During the conflict, according to various sources, from 13 to 36 million people died, which is equal to the population of modern Canada 34 million people, and in those days it was 15% of the total population of the planet.
Formation and wars of the Mongol Empire of the 13th-15th centuries
The Mongol Empire is the largest state that has ever existed on Earth. The maximum size reached 24 million square kilometers, a huge empire, on the territory of which many different peoples lived. The formation of the Empire was started by the great warrior Genghis Khan, who united the warring tribes under his leadership.
After the formation of the Mongolian state at the beginning of the 13th century, they conducted continuous military campaigns. For all the time of the wars waged by the Mongol Empire until its collapse in 1480, an order of 60 million people(the population of modern Italy), at that time it was from 10 to 17% of the population of the entire globe.
The coming to power of the Manchu dynasty (1616-1662)
Another struggle for power in China led to death 25 million people it was precisely so many lives that the coming to power of the Manchu dynasty of the last ruling imperial dynasty of China cost. Under the leadership of Nurkhatsi, who united dozens of tribes under his leadership and moved to conquer all of China.
The ruling Ming dynasty at that time had an overwhelming numerical advantage, but due to the stupid command, it suffered a crushing defeat. Despite the death of Nurhatsi in 1626, it was no longer possible to stop the bloodshed. During the struggle for power, about 5% of the world's population, in numerical terms, the population of modern North Korea, died.
Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815)
The wars waged by France under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte in Europe and Africa. Napoleon, who came to power on November 9, 1799, had huge plans to seize power not only in France, but also to establish dominance throughout Europe. These wars took place not only on the battlefield, but also at the diplomatic table, the rulers of states were looking for benefits from diplomatic alliances.
Depending on military successes, new and interrupted existing treaties between countries were concluded. Therefore, the Napoleonic Wars consist of various kinds of military conflicts in which there were many different alliances and allies, including: the Third Coalition of 1805, the Fourth Coalition of 1806-1807, the Fifth Coalition of 1808-1809, the Patriotic War of 1812, and so on . During the wars in which most of the countries of Europe were drawn, according to historians, about 3-4 million people, which is the population of present-day Croatia.
World War I (Great War), (1914-1918)
At the beginning of the twentieth century political situation in Europe was heated to the chapel, Germany and Great Britain fought for influence both in Europe and Africa. The assassination of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914 in Sarajevo was the last straw, and the world plunged into war. A month later, on July 28, 1914, full-scale clashes began.
This military conflict ended on November 11, 1918. After the end of the war with geographical map disappeared, four great empires: Russian, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and German. As a result, 34 states from all over the globe took part in World War I. Died during the war about 65 million people(20 million directly in the fighting and about 45 million people from the mass epidemic of the Spanish flu). Losses in battles in this war are equal to the population of modern Romania.
Participation in World War I, the weakening of the power of the tsar, led to the revolution of 1917 and the collapse of imperial power in Russia. A civil war broke out on the ashes of the tsarist empire. A struggle for power began between the Bolsheviks and the "white movement". Each opposing side pursued its own goals and ideals.
Some wanted a return to the old system, others built new country where power should belong to the people, others robbed and killed, taking advantage of the chaos that arose in the country. In this fratricidal struggle died according to various estimates 5.5 to 9 million people. This is the number of people currently living in Belarus.
World War II (1939-1945)
After the defeat in World War I, the German people needed a new leader who would lead the country to new heights. Such a leader was Adolf Hitler, who came to power in Germany. It is with the name of this person that the most terrible and bloody times that the population of our planet has ever experienced have been associated. The Second World War lasted for a long 6 years, from September 1, 1939 to September 2, 1945, 62 countries out of 73 that existed on Earth at that time took part in it. 80% of the world's population was involved in this conflict.
The battle took place on the ground (on three continents), in the air and even under water (rivers, seas and oceans). In this war, for the first and only time in this moment a terrible weapon was used - nuclear. According to historians, the war claimed the lives of 40 to 72 million people. In our time, the population of only 18 countries exceeds the number of those who died in this terrible battle for peace on Earth.
