Wars haunt mankind in all eras - as soon as a person learned to throw stones and beat with a club, he immediately began to fight for territories, and even today, in the third millennium, wars are still an integral part of our lives. But how did it all begin and what was the very first war in the history of mankind?
Echoes of War: In Search of the Facts
Unfortunately for historians, they have to look not for the very first wars, but for data about them. Most likely, the wars began long before the appearance of a way to transfer knowledge about them to descendants (writing, drawing, legends). So traditionally, the term "First war in history" refers to a war about which clear evidence and facts have been preserved.
Searching for skirmish sites and, based on them, determining the data of the belligerents is a very difficult task, since in ancient times the belligerents could not afford to throw their weapons on the battlefield, and the dead enemies were robbed to the skin. However, once luck smiled at the seekers of truth: in Northern Kenya, they managed to find clear signs of a battle. It happened in the Nataruk region about 10,000 years ago.
The First War: What Archaeologists Have Learned
First of all, the researchers were attracted by the accumulation of well-preserved bodies with traces of violent death. A more accurate analysis showed that they died mainly from edged weapons. And then nearby
found arrowheads, which the winners apparently did not find or decided not to take with them. That is how they determined that it was precisely a planned skirmish, and not an accident. And although on a modern scale this is just a small skirmish, it is quite possible that it was once part of a large battle between clans or tribes.
Accurate data: walls helped scientists
If we talk about precisely established time intervals, then the first war took place around the seventh millennium BC. The excavations of the famous city of Jericho helped - near it, archaeologists found fortified walls about 5 meters high and ditches with water, which indirectly indicates military activity. Most likely, the inhabitants of the city thus established defense against excessively nimble neighbors.
But the first known document that describes the war is dated much later - 2700 BC. It belongs to the annalistic chronicles of the ancient Sumerians - the "Royal Lists" - and describes the victory of the Sumerian king En-Mebaragesi over the neighboring state of Elam. So it is the Sumero-Elam conflict that officially bears the title of the first war in the history of mankind.
This topic is relevant, despite the seemingly Peaceful time in our country, because in addition to open, bloody wars, there are latent ones that take no less lives than during battles with spears, swords, tanks, machine guns, bombs.
So, let's analyze which wars were the largest in terms of the number of victims and the scale of destruction in the entire history of mankind known to us. More than 1 million people were killed in major wars.
About a million and a little more victims were in wars:
Biafran War of Independence (1967-1970), Japanese Invasions of Korea (1592-1598), Siege of Jerusalem (73 AD, First Jewish War episode), Rwandan Genocide (1994), Korean War (1953), etc.
About 2-3 million victims were in the wars: the Chaka conquests (South Africa, 19th century), the Koguryeo-Suu wars (598-614), the Mexican revolution (1910-1920).
Religious wars in France (1568-1598) - claimed the lives of more than 4 million people.
The Huguenot Wars, the French Wars of Religion that were fought at the end of the 16th century, were essentially a confrontation between Catholics and Protestant Hugents.
The Wars of Religion or Huguenots are a series of protracted civil wars between Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots) that tore apart France under last kings Valois dynasty, from 1562 to 1598. The Huguenots were led by the Bourbons (Prince Condé, Henry of Navarre) and Admiral de Coligny, and the Catholics were led by Queen Mother Catherine de Medici and the powerful Giza.
Its neighbors tried to influence the course of events in France - Elizabeth of England supported the Huguenots, and Philip of Spain supported the Catholics. The wars ended with the accession of Henry of Navarre, who converted to Catholicism, to the French throne and the issuance of the compromise Edict of Nantes (1598).
In the 15-16th century in Europe, religion was not just an outlet for those seeking the eternal, religion was the cause of wars, almost the main one, religion divided society into enemies and friends, into friends and foes, was the essence of the monarchy, the main punitive element of the state, with the blessing those who had dignity were married and executed. As we can see, it got to the point that some cut others down just because they had different views on God.
Napoleonic wars (1799-1815) - more than 3.5 million victims.
“The Napoleonic Wars - this name is mainly known for the wars waged by Napoleon I with various states of Europe when he was First Consul and Emperor (November 1799 - June 1815). In a broader sense, this includes both the Italian campaign of Napoleon (1796-1797) and his Egyptian expedition (1798-1799), although they (especially Italian campaign) are usually referred to as the so-called revolutionary wars.
Napoleon created the first French empire, which lasted from 1804 to 1815. Having become, as a result of the coup on 18 Brumaire (November 9, 1799), the first consul of France, Napoleon launched an attack with the aim of conquering the whole of Europe, Italy, Austria, Germany, Prussia, etc. were in the plans.
According to official data alone, the battles in the warring countries claimed the lives of 2.2-3.6 million soldiers and civilians. Some historians even double these figures. Having failed in the Spanish-Portuguese war, defeated in the war with Russia (1812) - and Napoleon's empire began to crack.
The War of 1812 is depicted only in Russian art in paintings, in world works such as L. Tolstoy’s War and Peace, and Napoleon’s wars have become an inspiration, no matter how cynical it may sound, for many creators around the world.
In terms of the number of victims, the Napoleonic Wars are considered one of the largest and bloodiest.
Second Congo war - 5.4 million victims
« The Second Congolese War (French: Deuxième guerre du Congo), also known as the Great African War (1998-2002), is a war on the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in which more than twenty armed groups representing nine states participated.
By 2008, the war and subsequent events had killed 5.4 million people, mostly from disease and starvation, making it one of the bloodiest wars in world history and the deadliest conflict since World War II."
Many historians see the genocide in Rwanda as the beginning of the conflict, then the Tutsi refugees moved to Zaire, then, after the Rwandan Patriotic Front came to power in Rwanda, and some of the Hutu refugees rushed to seek refuge in Zaire, in connection with which in the territory of the former Republic of the Congo (now Zaire ) unfinished war in Rwanda unfolded. Hutu radicals began to use Zaire as a rear for attacks on Rwanda.
Chinese Civil War(1927-1950) - 8 million victims
“Civil War in China (Chinese trad.國共内戰, ex.国共内战, pinyin: guógòng neìzhàn, pall.: gogong neizhan, literally: "internal war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party") - a series of armed conflicts in China between the forces of the Republic of China and the Chinese Communists in 1927 - 1950 (with interruptions).
The war began in 1927 after the Northern Expedition, when, by decision of the right wing of the Kuomintang led by Chiang Kai-shek, the alliance between the Kuomintang and the CPC was broken.
A war that lasted 23 years and claimed millions of lives ... Periods, such as in 1936, when China united in the fight against the Japanese invaders, the battle weakened, but after the completion of the events for which there was rallying, it began again with renewed vigor.
The war continued until 1950, in 1949 the formation of the People's Republic of China was proclaimed in Beijing, and in May 1951, by signing an agreement on the peaceful end of the conflict, the last captured stronghold, Tibet, was liberated.
Thirty Years' War - 11.5 million dead
“The Thirty Years' War is a military conflict for hegemony in the Holy Roman Empire and Europe, which lasted from 1618 to 1648 and affected almost all European countries to one degree or another.
The war began as a religious clash between the Protestants and Catholics of the empire, but then escalated into a fight against Habsburg dominance in Europe. The conflict was the last major religious war in Europe and gave rise to the Westphalian system of international relations.
This war affected all segments of the population - as the story goes, the most affected country is Germany, more than 5 million people died there, the economic, productive system was destroyed, only a century later the country's population began to recover. Sweden and Germany fought.
Civil war in Russia (1917-1922) - 12 million dead (taking into account the accompanying losses - more than 25 million people)
"The Civil War in Russia (October 25 (November 7), 1917 - October 25, 1922 / July 16, 1923) - a series of armed conflicts between various political, ethnic, social groups and state entities on the territory of the former Russian Empire that followed the coming to power of the Bolsheviks as a result of October revolution 1917".
The civil war of the "Reds" and "Whites" was the natural result of the revolution of 1904-1907, also the First World War, ended with the victory of the Bolsheviks.
Perhaps this is one of the most cruel and memorable wars for the Russian people, not only in the 20th century, but in general in history, because the war was fought not with external, foreign enemies, but with Russians ... The population of the homeland was divided into two camps and " interrupted" their own.
The horrors of that era are described in many literary works, captured in rare photos, many legendary films based on works and that war were shot, the ruthlessness of their own compatriots, blinded by the idea, is amazing. The bodies of the shot people were taken by trucks from the base of the Chekists to the burial places. One of the works banned at that time - Zazubrin's story "Sliver" vividly tells about the revolution - "a beautiful and cruel mistress, powerless, sparingly, rigidly imposing her order of life on us, clearing her way with corpses ... By the way, the author himself - Vladimir Zazubrin - was shot in 1937 for belonging to a sabotage and terrorist organization of the right. The novel was first published only in 1989.
The "Reds" - the Bolsheviks - won. The confrontation between the "reds" and "whites" grew into carnage, a characteristic feature of the civil war was that the enemy sides achieved their goal exclusively by violent measures.
Historians explain this situation by saying that
“The social and class confrontation that has reached the stage of civil war divides society into “us” and “them”, into “us” and “them”. Enemies and opponents are generally taken out of the sphere of morality at such moments, they are perceived as “subhumans”, who are not subject to universal norms. This is what creates the opportunity to turn immoral terror into terror that is morally justified…”.
Even during the unfinished war, Russia was defeated.
“The territories of Poland, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Western Ukraine, Belarus, the Kars region (in Armenia) and Bessarabia departed from the former Russian Empire. According to experts, the population in the remaining territories barely reached 135 million people.
Losses in these territories as a result of wars, epidemics, emigration, and a reduction in the birth rate amounted to at least 25 million people since 1914.
The level of production fell, factories were destroyed, the country was swallowed up by chaos, poverty and devastation.
The number of street children ranged from 4.5 to 7 million people.
"The First World War (July 28, 1914 - November 11, 1918) is one of the largest armed conflicts in the history of mankind."
The actual beginning of the already brewing conflict was the so-called "Sarajevo Murder" on June 28, 1914, when the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who advocated the creation of national autonomies in Austria-Hungary, was killed by a young Serbian terrorist.
“As a result of the military conflict, four empires ceased to exist: Russian, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and German (although the Weimar Republic that arose instead of Kaiser Germany formally continued to be called German Empire). The participating countries lost more than 10 million soldiers and about 12 million civilians killed, about 55 million people were injured.
The participants in the war were:
Quadruple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria.
Entente: Russia, France, Great Britain.
Allies of the Entente (supported the Entente in the war): USA, Japan, Serbia, Italy (participated in the war on the side of the Entente since 1915, despite being a member tripartite alliance), Montenegro, Belgium, Egypt, Portugal, Romania, Greece, Brazil, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, Siam, Haiti, Liberia, Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Peru, Uruguay, Ecuador.
In 1919 Germany was forced to sign Treaty of Versailles about the peaceful end of the conflict with the victorious countries.
As a result, Germany lost more, in Russia the first World War led to revolutions, civil war, for all participants - to the liquidation of several empires. For Germany, the defeat in this war led to the collapse of the monarchy, the weakening of economic and territorial positions, the subsequent humiliation led to the Nazis coming to power, who later unleashed the Second World War.
Any war is always not just a conflict, it is the cause of something and the consequence of something, often another war.
Conquests of Tamerlane (Tuesday half of the 14th century) - 20 million dead
Dungan uprising (19th century) - 20.5 million victims
The Qing Dynasty conquered the Ming Dynasty - 25 million dead
Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) - 30 million victims
Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864, China) - 30 million victims
An Lushan Rebellion (755-763, China) - 36 million victims
Mongol conquests (13th century) - 70 million dead
There is evidence that over 138 million people died as a result of the conquest of North and South America (over several centuries).
During the development of the territory of North and South America, that is, from the period of 1491 to 1691, although the actual development began in the 10th century, during all this time more than one hundred million people died in battles with the colonialists and indigenous people.
World War II (1939 - 1945) - 85 million dead
“The Second World War (September 1, 1939 [- September 2, 1945) is a war of two world military-political coalitions, which has become the largest armed conflict in the history of mankind.
It was attended by 62 states out of 73 that existed at that time (80% of the world's population). fighting conducted on the territory of three continents and in the waters of four oceans. This is the only conflict in which nuclear weapons have been used."
The Second World War, both in terms of the number of victims and the number of participating countries, the scale of destruction, became one of the largest world battles in the history of mankind. It was attended by 72 states, which is 80% of the world's population, military operations were conducted on the territory of 40 states. Human losses - at least 65 million people. The military losses and expenses incurred were colossal.
After the war weakened the role Western Europe, the USSR and the USA became the main ones in the world. Nazi and fascist ideologies were recognized as criminal and banned at the Nuremberg trials.
And although more than 70 years have passed since the end of the battles, many Russians know what the Second World War and the Great Patriotic War are.
Perhaps, so many creations of art are not dedicated to any military battle - literary works, masterpieces of cinema, etc. A lot of photographs of the victims of Nazi camps, battles, fragments of the war, soldiers, and the Nazis themselves have been preserved.
A lot of documentation and testimonies of the horrors of those times have been preserved about the inhuman, cruel experiments of the Nazis on prisoners, about gas chambers and tons of victims, about tens of thousands of healthy babies who were born by Russian women in captivity, drowned in a bucket for slops by German guards, about Jews killed during Holocaust…
This topic is relevant, despite the seemingly peaceful time in our country, because in addition to open, bloody wars, there are also latent ones that claim no less lives than during battles with spears, swords, tanks, machine guns, bombs.
So, let's analyze which wars were the largest in terms of the number of victims and the scale of destruction in the entire history of mankind known to us. More than 1 million people were killed in major wars.
About a million and a little more victims were in wars:
Biafran War of Independence (1967-1970), Japanese Invasions of Korea (1592-1598), Siege of Jerusalem (73 AD, First Jewish War episode), Rwandan Genocide (1994), Korean War (1953), etc.
About 2-3 million victims were in the wars: the Chaka conquests (South Africa, 19th century), the Koguryeo-Suu wars (598-614), the Mexican revolution (1910-1920).
Religious wars in France (1568-1598) - claimed the lives of more than 4 million people.
The Huguenot Wars, the French Wars of Religion that were fought at the end of the 16th century, were essentially a confrontation between Catholics and Protestant Hugents.
The Wars of Religion or Huguenots are a series of protracted civil wars between Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots) that tore apart France under the last kings of the Valois dynasty, from 1562 to 1598. The Huguenots were led by the Bourbons (Prince Condé, Henry of Navarre) and Admiral de Coligny, and the Catholics were led by Queen Mother Catherine de Medici and the powerful Giza.
Its neighbors tried to influence the course of events in France - Elizabeth of England supported the Huguenots, and Philip of Spain supported the Catholics. The wars ended with the accession of Henry of Navarre, who converted to Catholicism, to the French throne and the issuance of the compromise Edict of Nantes (1598).
In the 15-16th century in Europe, religion was not just an outlet for those seeking the eternal, religion was the cause of wars, almost the main one, religion divided society into enemies and friends, into friends and foes, was the essence of the monarchy, the main punitive element of the state, with the blessing those who had dignity were married and executed. As we can see, it got to the point that some cut others down just because they had different views on God.
Napoleonic wars (1799-1815) - more than 3.5 million victims.
“The Napoleonic Wars - this name is mainly known for the wars waged by Napoleon I with various states of Europe when he was First Consul and Emperor (November 1799 - June 1815). In a broader sense, this includes both Napoleon's Italian campaign (1796-1797) and his Egyptian expedition (1798-1799), although these (especially the Italian campaign) are usually referred to as the so-called revolutionary wars.
Napoleon created the first French empire, which lasted from 1804 to 1815. Having become, as a result of the coup on 18 Brumaire (November 9, 1799), the first consul of France, Napoleon launched an attack with the aim of conquering the whole of Europe, Italy, Austria, Germany, Prussia, etc. were in the plans.
According to official data alone, the battles in the warring countries claimed the lives of 2.2-3.6 million soldiers and civilians. Some historians even double these figures. Having failed in the Spanish-Portuguese war, defeated in the war with Russia (1812) - and Napoleon's empire began to crack.
The War of 1812 is depicted only in Russian art in paintings, in world works such as L. Tolstoy’s War and Peace, and Napoleon’s wars have become an inspiration, no matter how cynical it may sound, for many creators around the world.
In terms of the number of victims, the Napoleonic Wars are considered one of the largest and bloodiest.
Second Congo war - 5.4 million victims
« The Second Congolese War (French: Deuxième guerre du Congo), also known as the Great African War (1998-2002), is a war on the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in which more than twenty armed groups representing nine states participated.
By 2008, the war and subsequent events had killed 5.4 million people, mostly from disease and starvation, making it one of the bloodiest wars in world history and the deadliest conflict since World War II."
Many historians see the genocide in Rwanda as the beginning of the conflict, then the Tutsi refugees moved to Zaire, then, after the Rwandan Patriotic Front came to power in Rwanda, and some of the Hutu refugees rushed to seek refuge in Zaire, in connection with which in the territory of the former Republic of the Congo (now Zaire ) unfinished war in Rwanda unfolded. Hutu radicals began to use Zaire as a rear for attacks on Rwanda.
Chinese Civil War (1927-1950) - 8 million victims
“Civil War in China (Chinese trad.國共内戰, ex.国共内战, pinyin: guógòng neìzhàn, pall.: gogong neizhan, literally: "internal war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party") - a series of armed conflicts in China between the forces of the Republic of China and the Chinese Communists in 1927 - 1950 (with interruptions).
The war began in 1927 after the Northern Expedition, when, by decision of the right wing of the Kuomintang led by Chiang Kai-shek, the alliance between the Kuomintang and the CPC was broken.
A war that lasted 23 years and claimed millions of lives ... Periods, such as in 1936, when China united in the fight against the Japanese invaders, the battle weakened, but after the completion of the events for which there was rallying, it began again with renewed vigor.
The war continued until 1950, in 1949 the formation of the People's Republic of China was proclaimed in Beijing, and in May 1951, by signing an agreement on the peaceful end of the conflict, the last captured stronghold, Tibet, was liberated.
Thirty Years' War - 11.5 million dead
“The Thirty Years' War is a military conflict for hegemony in the Holy Roman Empire and Europe, which lasted from 1618 to 1648 and affected almost all European countries to one degree or another.
The war began as a religious clash between the Protestants and Catholics of the empire, but then escalated into a fight against Habsburg dominance in Europe. The conflict was the last major religious war in Europe and gave rise to the Westphalian system of international relations.
This war affected all segments of the population - as the story goes, the most affected country is Germany, more than 5 million people died there, the economic, productive system was destroyed, only a century later the country's population began to recover. Sweden and Germany fought.
Civil war in Russia (1917-1922) - 12 million dead (taking into account the accompanying losses - more than 25 million people)
"The Civil War in Russia (October 25 (November 7), 1917 - October 25, 1922 / July 16, 1923) - a series of armed conflicts between various political, ethnic, social groups and state entities on the territory of the former Russian Empire that followed the coming to power of the Bolsheviks as a result of the October Revolution of 1917.
The civil war of the "Reds" and "Whites" was the natural result of the revolution of 1904-1907, also the First World War, ended with the victory of the Bolsheviks.
Perhaps this is one of the most cruel and memorable wars for the Russian people, not only in the 20th century, but in general in history, because the war was fought not with external, foreign enemies, but with Russians ... The population of the homeland was divided into two camps and " interrupted" their own.
The horrors of that era are described in many literary works, captured in rare photos, many legendary films based on the works and that war were shot, the ruthlessness of their own compatriots, blinded by the idea, is amazing. The bodies of the shot people were taken by trucks from the base of the Chekists to the burial places. One of the works banned at that time - Zazubrin's story "Sliver" vividly tells about the revolution - "a beautiful and cruel mistress, powerless, sparingly, rigidly imposing her order of life on us, clearing her way with corpses ... By the way, the author himself - Vladimir Zazubrin - was shot in 1937 for belonging to a sabotage and terrorist organization of the right. The novel was first published only in 1989.
The "Reds" - the Bolsheviks - won. The confrontation between the "reds" and "whites" grew into a bloody massacre, a characteristic feature of the civil war was that the enemy sides achieved their goal exclusively by violent measures.
Historians explain this situation by saying that
“The social and class confrontation that has reached the stage of civil war divides society into “us” and “them”, into “us” and “them”. Enemies and opponents are generally taken out of the sphere of morality at such moments, they are perceived as “subhumans”, who are not subject to universal norms. This is what creates the opportunity to turn immoral terror into terror that is morally justified…”.
Even during the unfinished war, Russia was defeated.
“The territories of Poland, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Western Ukraine, Belarus, the Kars region (in Armenia) and Bessarabia departed from the former Russian Empire. According to experts, the population in the remaining territories barely reached 135 million people.
Losses in these territories as a result of wars, epidemics, emigration, and a reduction in the birth rate amounted to at least 25 million people since 1914.
The level of production fell, factories were destroyed, the country was swallowed up by chaos, poverty and devastation.
The number of street children ranged from 4.5 to 7 million people.
"The First World War (July 28, 1914 - November 11, 1918) is one of the largest armed conflicts in the history of mankind."
The actual beginning of the already brewing conflict was the so-called "Sarajevo Murder" on June 28, 1914, when the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who advocated the creation of national autonomies in Austria-Hungary, was killed by a young Serbian terrorist.
“As a result of the military conflict, four empires ceased to exist: Russian, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and German (although the Weimar Republic that arose instead of the Kaiser's Germany formally continued to be called the German Empire). The participating countries lost more than 10 million soldiers and about 12 million civilians killed, about 55 million people were injured.
The participants in the war were:
Quadruple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria.
Entente: Russia, France, Great Britain.
Allies of the Entente (supported the Entente in the war): USA, Japan, Serbia, Italy (participated in the war on the side of the Entente since 1915, despite being a member of the Triple Alliance), Montenegro, Belgium, Egypt, Portugal, Romania, Greece, Brazil, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, Siam, Haiti, Liberia, Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Peru, Uruguay, Ecuador.
In 1919, Germany was forced to sign the Versailles Treaty on the peaceful end of the conflict with the victorious countries.
As a result, Germany lost more, in Russia the First World War led to revolutions, civil war, for all participants - to the liquidation of several empires. For Germany, the defeat in this war led to the collapse of the monarchy, the weakening of economic and territorial positions, the subsequent humiliation led to the Nazis coming to power, who later unleashed the Second World War.
Any war is always not just a conflict, it is the cause of something and the consequence of something, often another war.
Conquests of Tamerlane (Tuesday half of the 14th century) - 20 million dead
Dungan uprising (19th century) - 20.5 million victims
The Qing Dynasty conquered the Ming Dynasty - 25 million dead
Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) - 30 million victims
Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864, China) - 30 million victims
An Lushan Rebellion (755-763, China) - 36 million victims
Mongol conquests (13th century) - 70 million dead
There is evidence that over 138 million people died as a result of the conquest of North and South America (over several centuries).
During the development of the territory of North and South America, that is, from the period of 1491 to 1691, although the actual development began in the 10th century, during all this time more than one hundred million people died in battles with the colonialists and indigenous people.
World War II (1939 - 1945) - 85 million dead
“The Second World War (September 1, 1939 [- September 2, 1945) is a war of two world military-political coalitions, which has become the largest armed conflict in the history of mankind.
It was attended by 62 states out of 73 that existed at that time (80% of the world's population). The fighting took place on the territory of three continents and in the waters of four oceans. This is the only conflict in which nuclear weapons have been used.”
The Second World War, both in terms of the number of victims and the number of participating countries, the scale of destruction, became one of the largest world battles in the history of mankind. It was attended by 72 states, which is 80% of the world's population, military operations were conducted on the territory of 40 states. Human losses - at least 65 million people. The military losses and expenses incurred were colossal.
After the war, the role of Western Europe weakened, the USSR and the USA became the main ones in the world. Nazi and fascist ideologies were recognized as criminal and banned at the Nuremberg trials.
And although more than 70 years have passed since the end of the battles, many Russians know what the Second World War and the Great Patriotic War are.
Perhaps, so many creations of art are not dedicated to any military battle - literary works, masterpieces of cinema, etc. A lot of photographs of the victims of Nazi camps, battles, fragments of the war, soldiers, and the Nazis themselves have been preserved.
A lot of documentation and testimonies of the horrors of those times have been preserved about the inhuman, cruel experiments of the Nazis on prisoners, about gas chambers and tons of victims, about tens of thousands of healthy babies who were born by Russian women in captivity, drowned in a bucket for slops by German guards, about Jews killed during Holocaust…
On the work of the Ves Mir publishing house in the context of counteracting the spread of coronavirus and the implementation of the orders of the Mayor and the Government of Moscow.
The most big war in Human History - A Brief History of World War II
World War II was the biggest, most destructive and bloodiest war ever fought. known history. In its scale, it far surpassed all the wars of the past, including the Hundred Years' War of the XIV-XV centuries, the Thirty Years' War of the XVII century, the Napoleonic Wars early XIX in. and even the First World War of 1914-1918. The Second World War lasted six years - from 1939 to 1945. 61 states participated in it. general population 1 billion 700 million people, including all the great powers: Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Soviet Union, United States of America and Japan. Military operations were conducted on the territory of 40 states, on three continents and on all oceans. 110 million people were mobilized in the armies of the warring countries; in addition, tens of millions participated in the resistance movement, in guerrilla warfare, built military fortifications, worked in military industry. In total, the war drew 3/4 of the population into its orbit the globe.
The loss and destruction caused by World War II is unparalleled. They are so large that they cannot even be accurately calculated, but can only be estimated approximately. According to historians, human losses in World War II amounted to at least 50-60 million people. They were at least five times more than the losses in the First World War and more than twice the losses in all the wars of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The material damage was 12 times greater than in the First World War.
By its gigantic scale and influence on the subsequent historical development World War II is the biggest event in world history.
Like the First World War, the Second World War was fought for the redivision of the world, territorial acquisitions, sources of raw materials and markets, but unlike the First World War, it also had a clearly expressed ideological content. In World War II, the fascist and anti-fascist coalitions opposed each other. The fascist and militaristic states that unleashed the war sought to enslave other countries, establish their own rules there and achieve world domination. The states of the anti-fascist coalition defended their freedom and independence, as well as the freedom of the countries enslaved by the fascists; fought for the preservation of democratic rights and freedoms. The war on their part had an anti-fascist, liberation character.
One of the manifestations of its liberation character was the national liberation and anti-fascist resistance movement that arose in the occupied countries and in the states of the aggressor bloc. Resistance Movement - characteristic and features of World War II.
Many thousands of books and articles have been written about World War II, dozens of films have been made in all countries. The literature on the war is truly boundless; no one is able to read it in its entirety, but the flow of publications does not dry out, because the history of the war is still far from being fully studied, and especially because it is closely connected with the most acute problems of our time. This or that interpretation of wartime events often serves as a historical justification and justification for revising borders and creating new states; for positive or negative evaluation roles of nations, classes, parties, political regimes and statesmen; it offends national interests and national feelings. Along with serious historical research a huge number of all kinds of unreliable writings, fabrications and falsifications are published. True story The war was overgrown with myths and legends, which were often supported by government propaganda, were widely disseminated and acquired a stable character. Until now, little is known in Russia about the actions of the Anglo-American troops in Africa and pacific ocean, while in England and especially in the USA they have little idea of the gigantic scale of hostilities on the Soviet-German front. It is characteristic that the serial Soviet-American documentary about the Great Patriotic War(released on screens in 1978) was given the name "Unknown War" in America, because it is almost unknown to Americans. The same name - "Unknown War" - is also one of the last French works on the history of the Second World War.
As polls have shown public opinion held in different countries, including in Russia, among generations born in postwar period, sometimes the most elementary information about the Second World War is missing. Often, the respondents do not remember when the war began, why it was fought, who fought with whom. Sometimes they don't even know who Hitler, Roosevelt or Churchill are.
The purpose of this book, intended for the general reader, is to give a general idea of the course and main events of the war. The most controversial issues in the history of the war are discussed in the sections "What are the disputes about?".
Other chapters from this book
- The immediate and most obvious outcome of World War II was gigantic destruction and loss of life. The war devastated entire countries, turned cities and villages into ruins, and led to the death of many millions of people. The largest human losses - 26.6 million people - were...
Wars are as old as humanity itself. The earliest documented evidence of war comes from a Mesolithic battle in Egypt (cemetery 117) about 14,000 years ago. Wars have been fought across most of the globe, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of millions of people. In our review of the most bloody wars in the history of mankind, which should not be forgotten in any case, so as not to repeat this.
1. Biafran War of Independence
1 million dead dead
The conflict, also known as the Nigerian Civil War (July 1967 - January 1970), was caused by an attempted secession of the self-proclaimed state of Biafra (Nigeria's eastern provinces). The conflict resulted from the political, economic, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions that preceded the formal decolonization of Nigeria in 1960-1963. Most of the people during the war died of starvation and various diseases.
2. Japanese invasions of Korea
1 million dead
The Japanese invasions of Korea (or the Imdin War) took place between 1592 and 1598, with the initial invasion taking place in 1592 and a second invasion in 1597, after a brief truce. The conflict ended in 1598 with the withdrawal of Japanese troops. Approximately 1 million Koreans were killed, and Japanese casualties are unknown.
3. Iran-Iraq War
1 million dead
The Iran-Iraq War is an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from 1980 to 1988, making it the longest war of the 20th century. The war began when Iraq invaded Iran on September 22, 1980 and ended in a stalemate on August 20, 1988. In terms of tactics, the conflict was comparable to World War I as it featured large-scale trench warfare, machine gun emplacements, bayonet charges, psychological pressure, and extensive use of chemical weapons.
4. Siege of Jerusalem
1.1 million dead
The oldest conflict on this list (it happened in 73 AD) was decisive event First Jewish War. The Roman army besieged and captured the city of Jerusalem, which was defended by the Jews. The siege ended with the sack of the city and the destruction of its famous Second Temple. According to historian Josephus, 1.1 million civilians died during the blockade, mostly as a result of violence and starvation.
5. Korean War
1.2 million dead
Lasting from June 1950 to July 1953, the Korean War was an armed conflict that began when North Korea invaded South Korea. The United Nations, led by the United States, came to the rescue South Korea while China and the Soviet Union supported North Korea. The war ended after a truce was signed, a demilitarized zone was established, and an exchange of prisoners of war took place. However, no peace treaty has been signed and the two Koreas are technically still at war.
6. Mexican Revolution
2 million dead
The Mexican Revolution, which lasted from 1910 to 1920, radically changed the entire Mexican culture. Considering that the country's population was then only 15 million, the losses were appallingly high, but numerical estimates vary widely. Most historians agree that 1.5 million people died and nearly 200,000 refugees fled abroad. The Mexican Revolution is often categorized as one of the most important socio-political events in Mexico and one of the biggest social upheavals of the 20th century.
7 Chuck's Conquests
2 million dead
The Chaka Conquests is a term used for a series of massive and brutal conquests in South Africa led by Chaka, the famous monarch of the Zulu Kingdom. In the first half of the 19th century Chaka at the head of a large army invaded and plundered a number of regions in South Africa. It is estimated that up to 2 million indigenous people died in the process.
8. Goguryeo-Suu Wars
2 million dead
Another violent conflict in Korea was the Goguryeo-Sui Wars, a series of military campaigns waged by the Sui dynasty of China against Goguryeo, one of the three kingdoms of Korea in 598-614. These wars (which were ultimately won by the Koreans) resulted in 2 million deaths, and the total death toll is likely much higher because Korean civilian casualties were not taken into account.
9. Wars of Religion in France
4 million dead
Also known as the Huguenot Wars, the French Wars of Religion, fought between 1562 and 1598, is a period of civil strife and military confrontation between French Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots). The exact number of wars and their respective dates are still debated by historians, but up to 4 million people are estimated to have died.
10. Second Congo War
5.4 million dead
Also known by several other names such as the Great African War or the African World War, the Second Congo War was the bloodiest in modern history Africa. Nine African countries directly participated in it, as well as about 20 separate armed groups.
The war was fought for five years (from 1998 to 2003) and resulted in 5.4 million deaths, mainly due to disease and starvation. This makes the Congo War the deadliest conflict in the world since World War II.
11. Napoleonic Wars
6 million dead
The Napoleonic Wars, which lasted between 1803 and 1815, were a series of major conflicts waged by the French empire, led by Napoleon Bonaparte, against a multitude of European powers formed into various coalitions. During its military career Napoleon fought about 60 battles and lost only seven, mostly towards the end of his reign. Approximately 5 million people died in Europe, including due to diseases.
12. Thirty Years' War
11.5 million million dead
The Thirty Years' War, which was fought between 1618 and 1648, was a series of conflicts for hegemony in Central Europe. This war became one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, and it originally began as a conflict between Protestant and Catholic states in the divided Holy Roman Empire. The war gradually developed into a much larger conflict involving most of the great powers of Europe. Estimates of the death toll vary considerably, but the most likely tally is that around 8 million people died, including civilians.
13. Chinese Civil War
8 million dead
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 ended in essence only in 1950, when the main active battles ceased. The conflict eventually led to the de facto formation of two states: the Republic of China (now known as Taiwan) and China People's Republic(mainland China). The war is remembered for its atrocities on both sides: millions of civilians were deliberately killed.
14. Russian Civil War
12 million dead
The civil war in Russia, which lasted from 1917 to 1922, broke out as a result of the October Revolution of 1917, when many factions began to fight for power. The two largest groups were the Bolshevik Red Army and the allied forces known as white army. During the 5 years of the war, from 7 to 12 million victims were recorded in the country, which were mostly civilians. The Russian Civil War has even been described as the greatest national catastrophe Europe has ever faced.
15. Tamerlane's conquests
20 million dead
Also known as Timur, Tamerlane was a famous Turkic-Mongolian conqueror and general. In the second half of the 14th century he waged brutal military campaigns in Western, Southern and Central Asia, in the Caucasus and southern Russia. Tamerlane became the most powerful ruler in the Muslim world after victories over the Mamluks of Egypt and Syria, the emerging Ottoman Empire and the crushing defeat of the Delhi Sultanate. Scholars have calculated that his military campaigns resulted in the deaths of 17 million people, about 5% of the then world population.
16. Dungan uprising
20.8 million dead
The Dungan Rebellion was primarily an ethnic and religious war fought between the Han (a Chinese ethnic group native to East Asia) and the Huizu (Chinese Muslims) in 19th century China. The riot arose because of a price dispute (when the buyer of the Huizu did not pay the required amount for the bamboo sticks to the Hancu merchant). In the end, more than 20 million people died during the uprising, mostly due to natural disasters and war-induced conditions such as drought and famine.
17. Conquest of the Americas
138 million dead
European colonization of North and South America technically began as early as the 10th century, when Norwegian navigators briefly settled on the coast of modern Canada. However, basically we are talking about the period between 1492 and 1691. During those 200 years, tens of millions of people were killed in battles between the colonizers and Native Americans, but estimates of the total death toll vary widely due to a lack of consensus on demographic size indigenous population of the pre-Columbian period.
18. An Lushan Rebellion
36 million dead
During the reign of the Tang Dynasty, another devastating war took place in China - the An Lushan rebellion, which lasted from 755 to 763. There is no doubt that the rebellion resulted in a huge number of deaths and significantly reduced the population of the Tang Empire, but the exact number of deaths is difficult to estimate even in approximate terms. Some scholars suggest that up to 36 million people died during the uprising, about two-thirds of the empire's population and about 1/6 of the world's population.
19. World War I
18 million dead
World War I (July 1914 - November 1918) was global conflict, which arose in Europe and which gradually involved all the economically developed powers of the world, which united in two opposing alliances: the Entente and the Central Powers. Total number The death toll was about 11 million military personnel and about 7 million civilians. About two-thirds of the deaths during World War I occurred directly during battles, in contrast to the conflicts that took place in the 19th century, when most deaths were due to disease.
20. Taiping Rebellion
30 million dead
This rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War, continued in China from 1850 to 1864. The war was fought between the ruling Manchu Qing Dynasty and the Christian movement "Heavenly Kingdom of Peace". Although no census was kept at the time, the most reliable estimate for the total death toll during the uprising was around 20 to 30 million civilians and soldiers. Most of the deaths were attributed to plague and famine.
21. Qing Dynasty Conquest of the Ming Dynasty
25 million dead
The Manchu conquest of China is a period of conflict between the Qing Dynasty (the Manchu dynasty ruling northeast China) and the Ming Dynasty (Chinese dynasty ruling the south of the country). The war that ultimately led to the fall of the Ming caused about 25 million deaths.
22. Second Sino-Japanese War
30 million dead
The war fought between 1937 and 1945 was an armed conflict between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor (1941), this war actually merged into World War II. It became the largest Asian war in the 20th century, with up to 25 million Chinese dead and over 4 million Chinese and Japanese military personnel.
23. Wars of the Three Kingdoms
40 million dead
Wars of the Three Kingdoms - a series of armed conflicts in ancient China (220-280). During these wars, three states - Wei, Shu and Wu vied for power in the country, trying to unite the peoples and take them under their control. One of the bloodiest periods in Chinese history was marked by a series of brutal battles that could have resulted in the deaths of up to 40 million people.
24. Mongol conquests
70 million dead
Mongol conquests progressed throughout the 13th century, resulting in a huge Mongol Empire conquered most of Asia and of Eastern Europe. Historians consider the period of Mongol raids and invasions to be one of the deadliest conflicts in human history. In addition, bubonic plague spread throughout most of Asia and Europe at this time. The total number of deaths during the conquests is estimated at 40 - 70 million people.
25. World War II
85 million dead
The Second World War (1939 - 1945) was global: the vast majority of the world's countries, including all the great powers, took part in it. It was the most massive war in history, with more than 100 million people from more than 30 countries of the world directly participating in it.
It was marked by massive civilian deaths, including those due to the Holocaust and the strategic bombing of industrial and settlements, which led (according to various estimates) to the death of 60 million to 85 million people. As a result, World War II became the deadliest conflict in human history.
However, as history shows, a person harms himself all the time of his existence. What are they worth.