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, including “women” 5–7- summer 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 necessary to compensate for the "wise rule" of the 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 main warring powers were Germany, the Soviet Union, France, Great Britain, the USA, and Japan. The bloodiest civil war is nothing compared to World War II, which engulfed the territories of forty states on three continents and all oceans. In total, 110 million people were mobilized in all these countries, tens of millions participated in guerrilla war and in the resistance movement, the rest worked in munitions factories and built fortifications. In general, the war covered 3/4 of the population of the entire Earth.

World War II - the bloodiest war in world history

The destruction and losses caused by the Second World War were very great and practically unparalleled. They are simply impossible to calculate even approximately. In this hellish war human losses approached 55 million people. In World War I, five times fewer people died, and material damage was estimated 12 times less. This war was of colossal proportions, as it was the most immeasurable event in world history.

In the Second, as in the First World War, the reasons lay in the redistribution of the world, territorial acquisitions, raw materials, markets. However, the ideological content was more pronounced. Fascist and anti-fascist coalitions opposed each other. The Nazis unleashed a war, they wanted to dominate the whole world, to establish their own rules and regulations. The states belonging to the anti-fascist coalition defended themselves as best they could. They fought for freedom and independence, for democratic rights and freedoms. This war was of a liberating character. The resistance movement became main feature World War II. An anti-fascist and national liberation movement arose in the states of the bloc of aggressors and in the occupied countries.

War Literature. Reliability of the facts

Many books and articles have been written about the most bloody war, a large number of films have been shot in all countries. Written about it literary works immense, it is unlikely that anyone will be able to read them in their entirety. However, the flow of various kinds of publications does not come to an end even today. The history of the bloodiest war has not yet been fully explored and is closely connected with heated problems. modern world. And all because this interpretation of military events still serves as a kind of justification and rationale for revising borders, creating new states in order to positively or negatively evaluate the role of nations, parties, classes, rulers and political regimes. Such situations constantly agitate national interests and feelings. A lot of time has passed and so far, along with serious historical research, a large number of absolutely unreliable fabrications, writings and falsifications are being written.

The real history of the Second World War was already overgrown with some myths and legends, supported by government propaganda, which had a stable character and was widely disseminated.

War films

In Russia, few people know about the maneuvers of the Anglo-American troops in Africa and in the waters of the Pacific Ocean during this period. And in the USA and England, people also have a poor idea of ​​the huge range of military battles on the Soviet-German front.

It is not surprising that the Soviet-American serial documentary about the bloodiest war in history (1978 release) in America was given the name "Unknown War", because there they really know almost nothing about it. One of the French films about World War II was also called "Unknown War". Too bad the poll different countries(including Russia) showed that the generation born already in the post-war period sometimes simply lacks the most ordinary knowledge about the war. The respondents sometimes do not really know when the war began, who Hitler, Roosevelt, Stalin, Churchill were.

Beginning, causes and preparation

The bloodiest war in the history of mankind began on September 1, 1939, and formally ended on September 2, 1945. It was unleashed by Nazi Germany (in alliance with Italy and Japan) with the anti-fascist coalition. The fighting took place in Europe, Asia and Africa. At the end of the war, at the final stage, against Japan (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) on September 6 and 9, atomic bombs. Japan capitulated.

For the defeat in the First World War (1914-1918), Germany, with the support of its allies, wanted revenge. In the 1930s, two military centers were deployed in Europe and on Far East. The excessive restrictions and reparations imposed on Germany by the victors contributed to the development of a powerful nationalist impulse in the country, where extremely radical currents took power into their own hands.

Hitler and his plans

In 1933, Adolf Hitler came to power and turned Germany into a militaristic country dangerous to the whole world. The scale and pace of growth was impressive in its scope. The volume of military production increased 22 times. By 1935, Germany had 29 military divisions. The plans of the Nazis included the conquest of the whole world and absolute domination in it. Their main targets were Great Britain, France, the USA were also included in this list. However, the most important and most important goal was the destruction of the USSR. The Germans longed for a redivision of the world, created their own coalition, and did a great deal of work on this issue.

First period

On September 1, 1939, Germany treacherously invaded Poland. The most bloody war has begun. By that time, the armed forces of Germany had reached 4 million people and possessed a huge amount of various kinds of equipment - tanks, ships, aircraft, guns, mortars, etc. In response, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany, but did not come to the aid of Poland. Polish rulers flee to Romania.

On September 17 of the same year, the Soviet Union sends troops into the territory of Western Ukraine and Belarus (which became part of the USSR since 1917), so that, with the collapse of the Polish state, in the event of an attack, the Germans would not be allowed to move further to the east. This was stated in their secret documents. Along the way, the Germans took possession of Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, then took Bulgaria, the Balkans, Greece and about. Crete.

Mistakes

At this time, Italian troops, fighting on the side of Germany, captured British Somalia, parts of Sudan, Kenya, Libya and Egypt. In the Far East, Japan occupied the southern regions of China and the northern part of Indochina. September 27, 1940 was signed by the Berlin Pact of the three powers - Germany, Italy and Japan. The military leaders in Germany at that time were A. Hitler, G. Himmler, G. Goering, V Keitel.

In August 1940, the Nazis bombarded Great Britain. In the first period of the bloodiest war in history, Germany's military successes were due to the fact that her opponents acted in isolation and were unable to develop a unified system of leadership for the joint conduct of the war, to draw up effective plans for military operations. Now the economy and resources from the occupied European countries went to prepare for war with the Soviet Union.

Second period of the war

The Soviet-German non-aggression pacts of 1939 did not play their role, so on June 22, 1941, Germany (together with Italy, Hungary, Romania, Finland, Slovakia) attacked the Soviet Union. The Great Patriotic War with the most bloody battles and the heaviest human losses.

It was a new phase of the war. The governments of Great Britain and the USA supported the USSR, signed an agreement on joint actions and military-economic cooperation. The USSR and Great Britain sent their troops to Iran in order to prevent the possibility of the Nazis creating strongholds in the Middle East.

First steps to victory

The Soviet-German front took on forms of an exceptionally fierce nature. All the most powerful armed forces of the Nazis, according to the Barbarossa plan, were sent to the USSR.

The Red Army suffered huge losses, but it was able to thwart the plans for a "blitzkrieg" (blitzkrieg) in the summer of 1941. There were heavy battles that exhausted and bled the enemy groups. As a result, the Germans were unable to capture Leningrad, they were held back for a long time by the Odessa defense of 1941 and the Sevastopol defense of 1941-1942. The defeat in the Moscow battle of 1941-1942 dispelled the myths about the omnipotence and omnipotence of the Wehrmacht. This fact inspired the occupied peoples to fight against the oppression of enemies and create the Resistance Movement.

On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked military base USA Pearl Harbor and unleashed a war against America. On December 8, the United States and Great Britain, along with their allies, declared war on Japan. On December 11, Germany, together with Italy, declared war on America.

Third period of the war

At the same time, the main events were taking place on the Soviet-German front. It was here that all the military power of the Germans was concentrated. The bloodiest battle of the Great Patriotic War began on November 19. It was a counteroffensive near Stalingrad (1942-1943), which ended with the encirclement and destruction of the 330,000th group German troops. The victory at Stalingrad of the Red Army was a fundamental turning point in the Great Patriotic War. Then the Germans themselves already had doubts about victory. From that moment began the mass expulsion of enemy troops from Soviet Union.

Mutual Aid

The turning point in victory occurred in Battle of Kursk 1943. The battles for the Dnieper in 1943 led the enemy to a protracted defensive war. When all German forces participated in the Battle of Kursk, British and American troops (July 25, 1943) destroyed the fascist regime in Italy, she withdrew from the fascist coalition. Great victories were demonstrated by the allies in Africa, Sicily, in the south of the Apennine Peninsula.

In 1943, at the request of the Soviet delegation, the Tehran Conference was held, at which it was decided to open a second front no later than 1944. In the third period, the Nazi army could not win a single victory. The war in Europe has entered its final stage.

The fourth period

In January, the Red Army launched a new offensive. Crushing blows fell on the enemy, by May the USSR managed to drive the Nazis out of the country. During the ongoing offensive, the territories of Poland, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria, northern Norway were liberated. Finland, Albania and Greece withdrew from the war. The Allied troops, having carried out Operation Overlord, launched an offensive against Germany and this opened a second front.

In February 1945, a conference of leaders of three countries - the USA, Great Britain and the USSR - was held in Yalta. At this meeting, plans for the defeat of the Nazi army were finally agreed upon, political decisions were made on the control and reparation of Germany.

Fifth period

Three months after the victory at the Berlin Conference, the USSR agrees to wage war on Japan. At the 1945 conference in San Francisco, representatives from fifty countries drafted the UN Charter. The United States wanted to demonstrate its power and new weapons by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9) in 1945.

The USSR, having entered the war with Japan, defeated its Kwantung Army, liberated part of China, North Korea, South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. On September 2, Japan surrendered. Second World War ended.

Losses

In the most bloody war, approximately 55 million people died at the hands of the Nazis. The Soviet Union bore the brunt of the war, losing 27 million people, receiving huge damage from the destruction material assets. For Soviet people, the Great Patriotic War is the bloodiest and most monstrous in its cruelty.

Large casualties were suffered by Poland - 6 million, China - 5 million, Yugoslavia - 1.7 million, and other states. The total losses of Germany and its allies amounted to about 14 million. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed, died of wounds or went missing.

Results

The main outcome of the war was the defeat of the reactionary aggression on the part of Germany and its allies. Since that time, the alignment of political forces in the world has changed. Many peoples of “non-Aryan origin” were saved from physical destruction, which, according to the plan of the Nazis, were to die in concentration camps or become slaves. The Nuremberg trials of 1945-1949 and the Tokyo trials of 1946-1948 gave legal assessments to the perpetrators of misanthropic plans and the conquest of world domination.

Now, I think, the question of which war is the most bloody should no longer arise. This must always be remembered and not let our descendants forget about it, because "whoever does not know history is doomed to repeat it."

Human history has always been bloody, rich in large-scale destruction and human sacrifice. However, some events stand out from others in their unimaginable catastrophic consequences.

1. Slave trade across the Atlantic. The death toll - 15 million

The Atlantic (or transatlantic) slave trade began in the 16th century, peaked in the 17th century, until it was finally abolished in the 19th century. Basic driving force This trade was the need for Europeans to establish themselves in the New World. Thus, European and American settlers began to use West African slaves to meet the huge labor needs of their plantations. There are widely varying estimates of the number of slaves who died during this period. But it is believed that of the ten slaves who ended up in the hold of the ship, at least four died from cruel treatment.

2. End of the Yuan War and transition to the Ming Dynasty. The death toll - 30 million

The Yuan dynasty was founded by Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, around 1260. This dynasty turned out to be the most short-lived in the history of China. Its representatives ruled for one century, and in 1368 everything collapsed and chaos began. Warring clans began to fight for land, crime increased, and then hunger began among the population. Then the Ming dynasty took control. The Ming Dynasty is described by some historians as "one of the greatest eras orderly government and social stability in the history of mankind."

3. Lushan uprising. The death toll - 36 million

About 500 years before the Yuan Dynasty, China was controlled by the Tang Dynasty. Lushan, a general from northern China, decided to seize power and declared himself emperor (creation of the Yang Dynasty). The Lushan rebellion lasted from 755 to 763, and eventually the Yang dynasty was defeated by the Tang Empire. The ancient wars were always very bloody, and this uprising was no exception. Millions of people died, and the Tang Dynasty never recovered from the effects of that war.

4. Taiping Rebellion. The death toll - 40 million

Fast forward a thousand years and we see the Chinese again. But this time they get a little help from the French and the British. In 1850, China was under the control of the Qing Dynasty. This dynasty had serious problems even before the rebellion, due to natural and economic disasters that caused chaos. It is also worth mentioning that it was during this period that Europeans began to import opium to China. It was then that Hong Xiuquan entered the historical scene, who, among other things, claimed that he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ. Hong created the "Taiping Heavenly Realm", and started the massacre. The Taiping Rebellion happened around the same time as the American Civil War, although the latter was far less bloody.

Here is another example of a social catastrophe caused by an attempt to change the economic and social landscape of a huge state in a short period of time.

In the period from 1917 to 1953, millions of people in our country died: first the revolution, then the civil war, famine, forced migration, concentration camps. In a huge number of victims, it is considered to be guilty of the too irrepressible desire of Secretary General Joseph Stalin to build a new, better future for our country at absolutely any cost, while retaining his own total power.

6. Great Chinese famine. The death toll - 43 million

Fast forward another century, and here we are in communist China. The period from 1958 to 1961 is known as the Great Leap Forward, and it is an object lesson in what can happen when a government tries to change a country too quickly.

Drought and bad weather led to famine. However, the real disaster was the government's attempts to transform the country from an agrarian economy into a communist society. Chinese peasants describe this period as "three bitter years". And that's kind of an understatement. A few decades later, China's economy became the largest in the world. But the price for this was very high.

7. Mongol conquests. The death toll - 60 million

If there is a person about whom it can be said that there is more blood on his hands than anyone in history, then this is Genghis Khan. Under his leadership (and under the leadership of his sons after his death), the Mongol Empire grew into an empire the world had never seen before. At the peak of its power, it occupied 16% of the earth's surface. The Mongol army took over Asia, and killed enemies with incredible cruelty, which lasted two centuries. The death toll, of course, would have been much higher if the Mongols had continued their advance to the West and to Europe. Nevertheless, despite all these killings, during the Mongol rule, everything was not so bad: religious tolerance was manifested towards a wide variety of denominations, and there were also tax benefits for the poor.

8. The First World War. The death toll - 65 million

While other wars have also been major, this one was truly global. The reasons for the "big war" are varied and quite complex, but it is worth mentioning that in 1914, when several European countries suddenly it became crowded, they united in two large alliances and fought each other for European dominance. Europe was divided, and then it dragged other countries with it into a rapidly growing military conflict. During this war, an outdated tactic was often used that was deadly for the soldiers: these young men were often ordered to walk to full height under enemy machine-gun fire. When it all ended in 1918, Europe and the rest of the world began to count the number of dead and huge losses. Many then hoped that such madness would never happen again.

9. World War II. The death toll - 72 million

After taking a break for several years, the world war broke out again in 1939. During the short interval between these wars, each country decided to build several new deadly machines, and more efficient vehicles, both sea and land, were also developed. In addition, soldiers now have automatic weapons. And as if all this wasn't enough, one of the countries decided to build a very large bomb. The Allies eventually won the war, but the losses were enormous.

10. Colonization of America. The death toll - 100 million

When Christopher Columbus, John Cabot and other explorers discovered a new continent in the 15th century, it must have seemed to them the beginning of a new era. It was a new paradise, which the enterprising Europeans soon began to call home. However, there was a problem: the indigenous population already lived on this land.

Over the following centuries, European navigators regularly brought death to the territories that today are called North and South America.

Many people died as a result of the war, but in addition to this, the lack of immunity among the natives to European diseases led to huge losses. According to some estimates, approximately 80% of the native population of the Americas died after contact with Europeans.

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Almost any significant date in the history of mankind is associated with a military conflict, if not with victory or defeat, then at least with their consequences. Wars are unleashed in the struggle for territories, resources, power, ideas, and even desecrated honor. Their cruelty sometimes frightens the imagination. Bloody battles, millions of dead, destruction, pain and suffering of the survivors - what was it for?

We did not dare to arrange wars based on the nominal number of victims, because the magnitude of the losses does not always indicate the degree of bitterness. Many wars were accompanied by epidemics, famines and other things, causing most of the losses. In addition, the losses in the war 2000 years ago are not commensurate with modern ones, since then only 300,000,000 people lived on Earth, and now 25 times more.

First Jewish War (66-73 AD)

At the beginning of 66, the oldest of the described military conflicts took place. The Jews of Israel and Palestine rebelled against the Roman invaders. The reason was the looting of the temple treasury by the procurator Flavius.

One of the most important events of the ancient war was the siege of Jerusalem by four Roman cohorts led by Titus, the son of Emperor Vespasian. In the year 70, when the described events took place, the city was a large, strong fortress with a triple line of defensive walls. The Jews courageously defended themselves and, despite severe hunger, kept the siege for about six months. Having captured the fortress, the Roman army plundered and burned the main shrine of Judaism - the Temple of Jerusalem. During the blockade, 200 thousand people died from exhaustion, and the entire war claimed the lives of more than 800 thousand. The number of those captured and sold into slavery is incalculable.

Wars of the Three Kingdoms in China (220-280)

China of the first millennium of our era is characterized by frequent bloody internecine conflicts. The fall of the ruling Han dynasty led to the division of the country into three kingdoms - Wu in the southeast, Shu in the southwest and Wei in the north.

The new rulers constantly led bloody wars, trying to seize and subjugate neighboring territories to their power. The sixty-year era of the Three Kingdoms ended with the victory of the northern state of Wei and the subjugation of the southern kingdoms. China became a single country again, but only for a few decades. In that historical period there was a series of fierce battles that claimed the lives of about 40 million people.

Chinese internecine wars (755 - 763)

One of the biggest bloodshed ancient history It is considered an internecine war in the Chinese provinces during the reign of the Tang Dynasty. The beginning of military conflicts provoked an uprising led by the commander of the border provinces An Lushan, a Turk (or Sogdian) by origin. Declaring himself emperor, the rebel held power for 2 years and was killed by his own eunuch.

Despite the death of the leader, which was carefully concealed, the companions continued the war with the ruling dynastic clan. The last centers of the uprising were able to extinguish only by 763. For 8 years of military confrontation, the population of China has decreased, according to various sources, by 15-35 million people, which at that time amounted to more than half of the entire population of China.

Mongol conquests (1207 - 1308)

Education Mongol Empire, as the largest state in the entire world history happened at the beginning of the 13th century. The area of ​​imperial conquests was about 24 million square meters. km. He laid the foundation for the formation of the great state of Genghis Khan, his warriors conquered Asia and eastern Europe.

The Mongol raids continued for 2 centuries and are considered the longest and deadliest military conflict human history. The collapse of the great power occurred after the death of Tamerlane, the last famous commander Turkic-Mongolian empire. The victories over the Egyptian and Syrian Mamluks, the Delhi Sultanate and the Ottoman Empire won the indisputable authority of his name. During the military conflicts, the population of the conquered countries decreased (according to various estimates) by 50-70 million people, which amounted to 12 to 18% of the inhabitants of the entire planet.

Colonization of the Americas (1492 - 1691)

The start of colonial wars in America was laid back in the 10th century, long before Columbus, in the territories modern Canada. But the period of the most fierce battles falls on the end of the 15th - 18th centuries.

A huge number of Indian tribes lived on the new continent, existing in their own socio-historical "vacuum". The natives did not possess firearms and became easy prey for the first colonizers. Their barbaric extermination, the destruction of culture and the plunder of the natural resources of the continent lasted more than two centuries. It is impossible to calculate the exact number of victims, there is no historical data on the indigenous population of the continent. According to some estimates, the death toll is about 120 million.

Religious Medieval Conflicts in France (1562-1598)

Civil strife in France at the end of the 16th century is known in historical annals as the Huguenot wars. The confrontation between the Catholic and Protestant faiths resulted in an innumerable number of bloody military conflicts, and historical disputes are still ongoing about their exact number.

Henry lV put an end to the thirty-year conflict by issuing an edict on the complete equality of Catholics and Protestants. By that time, the loss of the population amounted to about 4 million dead. Oddly enough, but the religious conflict hardened and strengthened France. The end of feudal revolts and the centralization of the state made it the strongest in Europe.

Thirty Years European War (1618 - 1648)

The medieval conflict for political and military supremacy in Central Europe was provoked by the split of the holy Roman papacy. The confrontation between the Protestant and Catholic powers resulted in one of the bloodiest and longest wars in the common history of Europe. Military operations were carried out on the territories of most large states, the total losses amounted to about 8 million people, including civilians.

This war is considered the last European religious conflict, after which interstate relations began to be exclusively secular. The signing of the Peace of Westphalia secured territorial boundaries and became the main protocol for concluding international treaties.

Manchu conquest of China (1616 - 1662)

Seizure of power in China by the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the last imperial clan ancient state, was marked by half a century of bloodshed. One of the vassals reigning emperor The Ming rebelled and united the northern provinces of the Jurchens under their rule. Declaring himself Khan, Aisingero Nurhatsi led dozens of united tribes to conquer the entire territory of the Chinese kingdom.

Despite the death of the leader in 1626, it was not possible to stop the military conflict. The numerical superiority of the imperial army did not help the Ming dynasty to maintain power, and she suffered a crushing defeat. Another internecine conflict claimed the lives of more than 25 million people.

Napoleonic Wars (1799 - 1815)

Having come to power and proclaiming himself emperor in November 1799, Bonaparte hatched plans to conquer not only Europe, but also world domination. His army made campaigns through the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, leading military companies in Africa and India.

The talented commander greatly expanded French possessions through military victories and diplomacy. Without hesitation, he tore apart old ones and entered into new, more profitable alliances with other states, pursuing his political goals. This is how 3rd, 4th, 5th coalitions were formed, plus an alliance in the Patriotic War of 1812. Military luck turned away from Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo during the 7th anti-Napoleonic coalition. The number of those killed during military conflicts is from 3 to 4 million people.

Chuck Wars (early 1816 - 1828)

The world did not know the history of the African continent until the appearance of the first Europeans on its coast. The natives did not have a written language. The period of the first half of the 19th century was marked for South Africa the conquests of Chak, the famous Zulu monarch.

Having come to power in 1816, the illegitimate son of Senzangakon began measures to carry out military reforms and mobilized all men aged 20-40 for service. Thanks to the talent of the commander, his army won brilliant victories over superior enemy forces. Chaka increased the territory of his possessions by 100 times, plundering and scattering independent tribes across the south of the continent. According to experts, about 2 million people were exterminated.

Taiping Rebellion (1850 - 1864)

The history of Chinese internecine conflicts is amazing in terms of the number of victims. The seizure of power by the Manchu Qing dynasty and its brutal rule provoked one of the bloodiest "Peasant" wars in Chinese history. Having raised a rebellion with good intentions to liberate the people, the leaders quickly lost control of the conduct of hostilities and drowned the country in a bloody slaughter.

Only documented facts testify to 20 million people who died from violent actions. According to unofficial evidence of historians, the number of victims is about 100 million.

Mexican Revolution (1910 - 1920)

The revolutionary movement in Mexico at the beginning of the 20th century was similar to all the revolutions in the world, but it was distinguished by an extremely high percentage of casualties among the civilian population. With a population of 15 million at that time, according to various estimates, from 1.5 to 2 million died and more than 200 thousand emigrated from the country.

The revolution began with an uprising against the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz, which escalated into a civil war that lasted almost 10 years. This military conflict was of great historical significance. The country gained independence, adopted a new constitution and carried out agrarian reforms. The Mexican Revolution had a great influence on the socio-political life of all of Latin America in the 20th century.

First World War (1914 - 1918)

The second decade of the 20th century was marked by one of the largest military campaigns with the participation of first European and then world powers. The beginning of the military conflict was marked by the assassination of the Austrian ambassador in Montenegro. The tense political situation between Germany and England for influence on the European and African foothold led to the split of the states into two blocks - the "Entente" with the participation of Russia, Great Britain and France and the "Quadruple Alliance" with the entry of the German, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires, as well as Bulgarian kingdom.

The result of bloody battles was the disappearance of political map 4 empires - Germany, Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary and Russia. 35 states were involved in the cycle of the First World War and about 20 million people died on the battlefields, about 45 million died from a catastrophic influenza epidemic.

Russian Civil War (1917 - 1922)

The second revolutionary coup in October 1917 led Russia to a civil confrontation between the adherents of the monarchical system and the Bolshevik Party. A feature of the fratricidal war was the participation of the Entente countries in it, which provoked even greater destruction on the territory of the state and led Russia to a political, economic and civilizational crisis.

The result of military clashes between the two largest military groups - the Red and White Armies, was the destruction of about 20 million people, most of which were the civilian population of the country. The civil clash on the ruins of the Russian Empire has been described by European historians as the greatest national catastrophe.

World War II (1939 - 1945)

The number of victims in the Second World War, the most massive and bloody nightmare of the 20th century, cannot be accurately calculated. 72 states were drawn into the frenzy of the war, and hostilities were conducted on the territories of 40 countries. About 100 million people, including women, the elderly and children, were subjected to military and labor mobilization in the USSR alone.

In full-scale military conflicts, about 28 million soldiers of the opposing armies died. Losses among the civilian population, according to the most conservative estimates, amount to about 60 million people. human lives. Unfortunately, in our time, attempts are being made to rewrite history and erase the concentration camps and the first nuclear bombings from human memory.

Civil War in China (1927 - 1950)

China, with its multi-million population, beats all records of sacrifice in the struggle for its formation. The protracted conflict between the Kuomintang, supported by the American bourgeoisie, and the Chinese Communist Party lasted more than 20 years. The main hostilities unfolded after the end of World War II and led to the formation of two states - Taiwan (an island state) and the PRC (mainland China).

The war led to the liberation of China from the oppression of the feudal landlords and the dominance of foreign imperialists. The clashes between the opposing armies are remembered for their wild atrocities on both sides. More than 8 million civilians were subjected to torture and destruction.

Korean War (1950 - 1958)

The military conflict on the isthmus of the Korean Peninsula began with the invasion of the PRC army into the territory of its southern neighbor. The rapid advance of the North Korean army forced the United States, and then the United Nations, to take the side of South Korea. The support of the DPRK was provided by the pilots of the Soviet Union and China.

The intermittent success of the Korean armies caused such severe destruction and losses on both sides that an armistice was agreed, signed in July 1953. By creating a demilitarized zone and exchanging prisoners of war, the Korean states postponed the signing of the peace treaty for an indefinite period and, formally, they are still at war. The military conflict claimed the lives of 1.3 million Koreans.

Vietnam War (1957 - 1975)

The beginning of a large-scale and bloody Vietnam War was marked by an uprising of the communist underground in South Vietnam. After 2 years, the troops of North Vietnam came to the aid of the rebels, and since 1961, the United States directly entered into a military conflict. A contingent of American troops launched a monstrous aerial bombardment of northern Vietnam using napalm and chemical weapons. 15% of the entire territory of Vietnam was exposed to toxic substances.

During the military conflict, more than a million Vietkogovtsev - soldiers of North Vietnam and about 2.6 million civilians from both states were killed. The US Army lost about 60 thousand soldiers killed, more than 1800 missing. The consequence of the monstrous war was the birth of more than half a million Vietnamese children with congenital anomalies and malformations at the level of genetic mutations. However, the United States has never been charged with the official use of chemical weapons.

Iran-Iraq armed conflict (1980 - 1988)

Military operations in the Middle East bridgehead in the penultimate decade of the 20th century began with the invasion of the Iraqi army into the sovereign space of Iran. The armed clash was provoked by religious differences and opportunistic sentiments of nearby powers. Attack of the Israeli Air Force on the territories of engineering developments nuclear reactor in Iraq slowed down the country's energy supply program for many years.

The military conflict had dire consequences for both sides, almost no one won. Losses were estimated at 200 thousand soldiers of the Iraqi army and 500 thousand soldiers from the Iranian side. In addition, about 25 thousand civilians suffered. In total, the countries lost about one and a half percent of their population.

Great African War (1998 - 2002)

The name of the Second Congolese War on the African continent is associated with one of the most significant bloodsheds of the late 20th century. The conflict was provoked by ethnic contradictions and genocide in the Republic of Rwanda, the consequences of which spread to the territory of the republican democracy of the Congo.

Bloody battles with the direct participation of 9 major continental powers that created more than 20 armed groups led to the destruction of almost 5.5 million people. Sadly, about half of the population died (at the turn of the 21st century!) From epidemics and famine. The military campaign was accompanied by savagery - about half a million women were sexually abused, even five-year-olds were not spared, cases of dismemberment and cannibalism were also recorded.

Modern films about the war are full of colorful battles and single fights, in which, of course, the victory is won by main character. At the same time, we still sincerely rejoice at his victory. But how else, he is good, he killed the bad ones - everything converges and is quite logical.

But the war is real life- this is the most terrible phenomenon of society and a manifestation of the true essence of man, in full glory revealing his predatory, ferocious nature. And for centuries, people deliberately commit murder, exterminating enemies and pursuing their “false” goals - political, religious, racial, etc. And the worst thing is that, contrary to the popular belief that “history teaches us not to repeat mistakes,” we history of their existence have not learned to live peacefully.

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. The gifted commander began to redistribute the political map of Europe even before he made the coup of 18 Brumaire and became the 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. Civil War in Russia (1917-1923)

In the civil war that followed the 1917 revolution in Russia, more people died than in all of 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 according to various estimates, from 8 to 12 million people suffered in the war of all against all. 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 is amazing: according to the smallest account, 13 million people died. 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. World War I (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 truce of November 11, 1918, 15 million died by the most modest measure. 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. It must be said that there was no shortage of material: for 45 years of aggressive campaigns, the 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. At least - 15 million, or even all 20. Wherever he just went: 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 the lives of 20 million people, according to conservative estimates. 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, 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 than 30 million. Pessimists count all 60 million. Truth, 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 Mongol state and received the title of Genghis Khan and until standing on the Ugra in 1480, when the Muscovite state under the Grand Duke Ivan III was completely freed from the 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. She is the bloodiest total number its victims are carefully estimated at 40 million, and carelessly at all 72. It is also the most devastating: the total damage to all the warring countries has 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.