War isn’t something that makes many people happy. It destroys countries, families, homes and it always takes much longer for a place to recover from a war. Sadly, the history of the human race has been riddled by some truly vicious wars, and it doesn’t seem like we’re any step closer to world peace.
For today’s history lesson, let’s take a look at some of the deadliest wars in human history.
Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815)
Napoleon waged war on the rest of Europe for over a decade, costing the lives of 3 to 6 million people – either directly or indirectly.
Second Congo War (1988-2003)
One of the deadliest wars in African history, this war cost the lives of 5.4 million people. While some of these were because of the war itself, there were also quite a number of casualties because of the famine and disease that followed in its wake.
Chinese Civil War (1927-1950)
Well, the Chinese sure do take their time waging wars, don’t they? This one caused the deaths of over 8 million people.
Russian Civil War (1917-1922)
While this might not have been a very long war, it did cost the lives of over 9 million people. Almost all of the casualties in this war were civilians, which makes it even more brutal.
World War I (1914-1918)
One of the few wars in history that caused less civilian than military casualties, this war took the lives of 18 million people.
Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864)
Another Chinese war. This one was a bit shorter than usual, but still caused the deaths of 20 to 30 million people.
Qing Dynasty Conquest (1618 – 1683)
The conquest for the Chinese empire that belonged to the Ming dynasty at the time lasted for over half a century and cost the lives of no less than 25 million people.
World War II (1939-1945)
And to end this list, the war against Nazi Germany caused a lot of casualties, especially among the Jewish population in Europe. It’s estimated that during this war, about 70 million people lost their lives.
