The bloodiest wars in history. The largest civil wars

Throughout its history, humanity has been at war. After all, with the help of a weapon it is so easy to take something from a neighbor. However, he also rushes to defend himself. Armed conflicts take lives. In attempts to radically change the world or seize vast territories, people are ready to kill millions of their own kind.

One Swiss researcher, Jean-Jacques Babel, came to the conclusion that in the entire known history of mankind, over the past 5,500 years, we have lived in the world for only 292 years. And there were different wars - some local and bloodless, while others were global, which carried away a significant part of the planet's population. Our story will be about the bloodiest wars in history.

Thanks to the genius of Napoleon, the history of France took a sharp turn. Until recently, the country, drained of blood by the revolution, barely fought off the attacks of the interventionists. But suddenly the French army itself began to actively participate in the redistribution of European political map. The wars that Napoleon waged from 1799 to 1815 were called Napoleonic. The commander cherished plans for large-scale conquests even before he became First Consul. And having received power, he began to realize his dream. The Napoleonic Wars included the Hanoverian Campaign, the War of the Third Coalition with the participation of Russia, Austria and France in 1805, the War of the Fourth Coalition, where Prussia took the place of Austria in 1806-1807. This period ended with the Peace of Tilsit. But in 1809 the war of the Fifth Coalition with Austria took place, in 1812 - Patriotic War. After it, the War of the Sixth Coalition also took place. European countries who opposed Bonaparte. And the war that shook the continent with the period of the “Hundred Days” and Waterloo ended. A series of wars for the redistribution of influence in Europe cost the lives of 3.5 million people. However, some historians consider this figure to be underestimated by half.

The 1917 revolution in Russia turned into a devastating Civil War. Some fought for new power and imaginary freedoms, others tried to return the previous regime, and others simply strove to seize territory or gain sovereignty. Everything was mixed up in this bloody mess - brother went against brother, father fought with son. As a result, the Civil War in Russia claimed the lives of at least 5.5 million people, although there is even talk of 9 million. For the entire population of the planet, losses amounted to only about half a percent. It may seem like a little, but for our country the confrontation between the Reds and the Whites turned out to have dire consequences. It is no coincidence that General Denikin canceled all awards in his army. How can we celebrate people who kill their own fellow citizens? And the Civil War did not end in 1920 with the evacuation of the last White Guards from Crimea. The Bolsheviks suppressed the last pockets of resistance in Primorye until 1923, and the Basmachi Central Asia gave no rest new government until the early 1940s.

These events began in 1862 in Northwest China. National minorities, who were tired of the oppression of the Chinese and Manchu feudal lords, opposed the Qing Empire. But English-speaking historians see the reasons for the uprising in religious contradictions, and in class and racial contradictions, which were also caused by economic reasons. Muslim Chinese had previously opposed the imperial regime, but in 1862 a favorable situation arose - the army was engaged in suppressing other uprisings. So in May 1862, a rebellion broke out in the provinces of Shanxi and Gansu. The rebels did not have a unified government; the clergy, who declared war on the infidels, tried to direct the movement in the right direction. Mosques became the center of the rebellion; warehouses and hospitals were set up there. Explosion religious fanaticism led to a bloody massacre. Over time, the authorities collected powerful army and brutally suppressed the uprising. In total, according to various estimates, from 8 to 12 million people died in that war. And the remaining Dungans fled so far that they reached the Russian Empire. Today, the descendants of the Chinese rebels still live in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and southern Kazakhstan.

Historians believe that it was during the Tang Dynasty that China reached its maximum greatness, surpassing other world countries in development. And the civil war that broke out in this era became no less grandiose. Historians call those events the Ai Lushan Rebellion. Emperor Xuanzong, together with his beloved concubine Yang-Guifei, especially singled out the Turk Ai Lushan who served them. Advisors singled him out, considering him harmless compared to other Chinese dignitaries. The mercenary concentrated enormous power and army in his hands, controlling 3 of the 10 border provinces of the empire. In 755, Ai Lushan rebelled and marched on the capital, under the pretext of overthrowing the courtiers who were hated by his soldiers. Many imperial officials went over to the side of the nomad army and were promised immunity. Soon Ai Lushan stopped hiding his true goals and declared himself emperor and founder of a new dynasty. During the crisis, the emperor abdicated the throne, and his heirs called on foreigners for help. In 757, the sleeping rebel leader was killed by his own eunuch, but Ai Lushan’s death was hidden for a long time. The rebellion was finally suppressed only in February 763. The number of victims turned out to be unimaginable for that time - at least 13 million people. According to official data, the number of taxpayers decreased by 36 million people. In this case, this reduced the entire human population by 15 percent. In this case, this conflict generally became the largest in history until the Second World War.

In his novel The Great Gatsby, Scott Fitzgerald, through the mouth of a character, called those events “the belated migration of the Teutonic tribes.” The First World War was called as many different names as possible: a great, European war against war. But it went down in history thanks to the name invented by the Times columnist Colonel Charles Repington, and even then after 1939. And the basics global conflict began to be laid back in late XIX century. Germany began to claim leading roles and acquired colonies. In the Middle East, the interests of all leading countries collided, striving to grab pieces of the collapsing Ottoman Empire. Multinational Austria-Hungary was also a hot boiler. The signal for the start of the war was the shooting in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, when the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand was killed. The truce came only on November 11, 1918. During that war, as many as four empires disappeared: German, Austria-Hungary, Russian and Ottoman. But the worst thing is the number of victims. About 10 million soldiers alone died, and another 12 million civilian victims lost their lives. Some sources also mention a figure of 65 million people. It also includes victims of the most massive influenza epidemic in history, the Spanish Flu.

Vereshchagin’s painting “The Apotheosis of War” eloquently testifies to those events. Initially, it was called “The Triumph of Tamerlane.” The fact is that the great conqueror loved to build pyramids from human skulls. This suggested massacres. The great conqueror was extremely cruel, suppressing any disobedience without mercy. During the 45 years of his campaigns, Timur or Tamerlane created an empire that rested on the blood of 15, or even 20 million people. At that time, 3.5 percent of the entire planet’s population became victims of Timur’s aggressive policies. At the same time, the Great Lame did not have any directed vectors for conquest. He visited Iran and Transcaucasia, the Golden Horde and the Ottoman Empire. The name of the conqueror is translated from Turkic as “iron”. Probably, his fortress allowed him to create his history and a great empire. By the end of his life, Tamerlane's state extended from Transcaucasia to Punjab in India. The commander intended to conquer China, but died at the beginning of the campaign.

Once again, China amazes with the number of lives it has taken. internal war. However, given the population of the country, this should not be surprising. And this uprising took place again during the existence of the Qing Empire. The country was then torn apart by the opium wars, the Xinhai revolution, the Yihetuan movement, and the Dungan uprising and the Taiping uprising were added to them. It turned out to be quite bloody. According to conservative estimates, about 20 million people became its victims. The most daring figures generally speak of one hundred million, or 8 percent of the entire population of the Earth at that time. The uprising began in 1850; it was essentially a peasant war. Then the disenfranchised Chinese peasants rose up to fight the Manchu Qing dynasty. Initially, the rebels set the best goals: to overthrow foreign rulers, drive out foreign colonialists and create a kingdom of equality and freedom, the Taiping heavenly kingdom. The word “Taiping” itself translates as “Great Calm”. And the uprising was led by Hong Xiuquan, who declared that he was neither more nor less than the younger brother of Jesus Christ himself. But it was not possible to live mercifully and resolve issues with kindness. The Taiping Kingdom with a population of 30 million people really appeared in South China. Its residents were nicknamed “hairy bandits” by other Chinese for their refusal to wear braids, which were forced on the residents by the Manchus. After the Taipings began to occupy big cities, the authorities gave them a decisive rebuff, and other countries also intervened in the struggle for power, and uprisings broke out in other parts of China. The uprising was completely suppressed only in 1864, not without help from the French and British.

Once again, mass bloodshed in Chinese history is associated with the Qing Dynasty. This time we'll talk about the time of her coming to power in the country. In 1616, the foundation of a future empire appeared on the territory of Manchuria, created by the local Aisin Gyoro clan. From northeast China new power spread its influence over the entire country, as well as Mongolia and part of Central Asia. The previous Ming Empire fell under the blows of the Great Pure State, Da Qing-Guo. But large-scale conquests cost the lives of 25 million people, one in twenty inhabitants of the planet at that time. But the empire existed for almost 300 years, being destroyed Xinhai Revolution 1911-1912 and the abdication of the six-year-old Emperor Pu Yi. Surprisingly, he managed to return to power, heading the puppet country of Manchukuo, created in Manchuria by the Japanese occupiers and which existed until 1945.

The conquests of Genghis Khan and his successors created a state called by modern historians the Mongol Empire. The territory of this country was the largest in world history. The Mongols ruled the lands from the Sea of ​​Japan to the Danube, from Novgorod to South-East Asia. That country spread over an impressive 24 million square kilometers, which exceeded even the area Soviet Union. But such global conquests were impossible without a huge number of victims of soldiers and civilians. It is believed that the Mongol conquests cost humanity at least 30 million human lives. There are also cautious estimates of 60 million victims. Still, it is worth saying that this war lasted for a long time. The countdown can be taken from the beginning of the 13th century, when Khan Temujin united the hitherto warring nomadic tribes and created a united state. He took the name of Genghis Khan. And the era essentially ended in 1480 with the standing on the Ugra. Then Moscow State Grand Duke Ivan III was completely freed from the Mongol-Tatar yoke. Over two hundred years of great conquests, from 7.5 to 17 percent of all people living on the planet died from them.

This war set a record among all in terms of the number of victims and its destructiveness. According to the most conservative estimates, about 40 million people died, although according to some estimates, losses amounted to up to 72 million people. The material damage has nothing to compare with; it ranged from one and a half to two trillion dollars. And this war can truly be considered a World War. After all, 62 countries out of 73 that existed at that time participated in it in one form or another. 80 percent of the world's population was involved in World War II. Combat operations were carried out not only on land and at sea, but also actively in the sky, on three continents and in the waters of four oceans. Second World War became the only conflict in which nuclear weapons were used.

The history of mankind is the history of wars. The Swiss Jean-Jacques Babel calculated that throughout history since 3500 BC. and to this day, humanity has lived peacefully for only 292 years.

But there were different wars. It is often difficult to estimate the number of deaths in war, but if we take the minimum figures for casualty estimates, the picture emerges like this.

10. Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815)

The wars that Napoleon Bonaparte waged with various European countries from 1799 to 1815 are usually called the Napoleonic Wars. The gifted commander began redistributing the political map of Europe even earlier than he carried out the coup of the 18th Brumaire and became First Consul. Hanoverian Campaign, War of the Third Coalition or Russian-Austro-French War of 1805, War of the Fourth Coalition, or Russian-Prussian-French War of 1806-1807, which ended with the famous Peace of Tilsit, War of the Fifth Coalition, or Austro-French War of 1809, Patriotic War The War of 1812 and the War of the Sixth Coalition of European Powers against Napoleon and, finally, the Hundred Days Campaign, which ended with Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, claimed the lives of at least 3.5 million people. Many historians double this figure.

9. Russian Civil War (1917-1923)

In the civil war that followed the 1917 revolution in Russia, more people died than in all of the Napoleonic wars: at least 5.5 million people, and according to bolder estimates, as many as 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 dire consequences. No wonder Anton Ivanovich Denikin abolished all awards in his army - what awards in 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, Uighurs, Salars - rebelled, as Bolshaya writes. Soviet Encyclopedia, against the national oppression of the Chinese-Manchu feudal lords and the Qing dynasty. English-speaking historians do not entirely agree with this and see the origins of the uprising in racial and class antagonism and in economics, but not in religious strife and rebellion against ruling dynasty. Be that as it may, the uprising, which began in May 1862 in Weinan County, Shaanxi Province, spread to the provinces of Gansu and Xinjiang. There was no single headquarters for the uprising, and in the war of all, according to various estimates, from 8 to 12 million people suffered. The uprising was brutally suppressed as a result, and the surviving rebels were sheltered Russian empire. Their descendants still live in Kyrgyzstan, Southern Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

7. Rebellion of An Lushan (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 its contemporary countries. And the civil war at that time was a match for the country - grandiose. In world historiography it is called the Ai Lushan uprising. Thanks to the favor of Emperor Xuanzong and his beloved concubine Yang Guifei, a Turk (or Sogdian) in Chinese service, Ai Lushan concentrated enormous power in the army - under his command were 3 of the 10 border provinces of the Tang Empire. In 755, Ai Lushan rebelled and next 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, the rebellion was only pacified by February 763. The number of victims is staggering: at the very least, 13 million people died. And if you believe the pessimists and assume that the population of China at that time decreased by 36 million people, then you will have to admit that the rebellion of Ai Lushan reduced the then world population by more than 15 percent. In this case, if we count the number of victims, it was the largest armed conflict in the entire history of mankind until World War II.

6. First World War (1914-1918)

The hero of Francis Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby called it "the belated migration of the Teutonic tribes." It was called the war against war, the Great War, the European War. The name with which it remained to live in history was coined by the Times military columnist Colonel Charles Repington: The First World War.

The starting shot of the world meat grinder was the shot in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. From that day until the armistice of November 11, 1918, a conservative estimate of 15 million people died. If you come across the number 65 million, don’t be alarmed: it also includes all those who died from the Spanish flu, the most massive influenza pandemic in the history of mankind. In addition to the mass of victims, the result of World War I was the liquidation of four entire empires: Russian, Ottoman, German and Austria-Hungary.

5. Wars of Tamerlane (14th century)

Do you remember Vasily Vereshchagin’s painting “The Apotheosis of War”? So, initially 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: over 45 years of conquest, the lame Timur - in Persian Timur-e-Lyang, and in our language Tamerlane - laid down, no less, more than 3.5 percent of the population globe second half of the 14th century. The minimum is 15 million, or even 20. Wherever he went: Iran, Transcaucasia, India, Golden Horde, Ottoman Empire– the interests of the iron lame man extended widely. Why “iron”? But because the name Timur, or rather Temur, is translated from Turkic languages ​​as “iron”. By the end of Tamerlane's reign, his empire extended from Transcaucasia to Punjab. Emir Timur did not manage to conquer China, although he tried - death interrupted his campaign.

4. Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864)

China is again in fourth place, which is not surprising: the country is populated. 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 bloodiest Taiping uprising, which, according to the most conservative estimates, claimed the lives of 20 million people. The immodest increase this figure to 100 million, that is, to 8% of the planet's population. The uprising, which began in 1850, was essentially a peasant war - disenfranchised Chinese peasants rose up against the Manchu Qing dynasty. The goals were the most good: to overthrow the Manchus, drive out foreign colonialists and create a kingdom of freedom and equality - the Taiping heavenly kingdom, where the word Taiping itself means “Great Calm”. The uprising was led by Hong Xiuquan, who decided that he younger brother Jesus Christ. But it didn’t work out Christianly, that is, mercifully, although the Taiping Kingdom was created in South China, and its population reached 30 million. The “Hairy Bandits,” so nicknamed because they rejected the braids imposed on the Chinese by the Manchus, occupied large cities and got involved in the war foreign countries, 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. 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 planet's inhabitants, is the price of creating an empire founded in 1616 by the Manchu clan of Aisin Gyoro in the territory of Manchuria, that is, what is now northeastern China. In less than three decades, all of China, part of Mongolia and a large piece of Central Asia came under her rule. The Chinese Ming Empire weakened and fell under the blows of the Great Pure State - Da Qing-kuo. What was won in blood lasted 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 occupiers on the territory of Manchuria and which existed until 1945.

2. Wars of the Mongol Empire (13-15 centuries)

Historians call the Mongol Empire the 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 extended from the Danube to the Sea of ​​Japan and from Novgorod to Southeast Asia. The area of ​​the empire is still amazing - approximately 24 million square kilometers. The number of people who died during the period of its formation, existence and collapse will also not leave you indifferent: according to the most optimistic estimates, it is no less than 30 million. Pessimists number all 60 million. Is it true, we're talking about about a significant historical period - from the first years of the 13th century, when Temujin united the warring nomadic tribes into a single Mongolian state and received the title of Genghis Khan, and until the standing on the Ugra in 1480, when the Moscow state under 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 Second World War holds the most terrible records. She is also the bloodiest - total number its victims are cautiously estimated at 40 million, and carelessly at all 72. It is also the most destructive: the total damage to all the warring countries exceeded the material losses from all previous wars combined and is considered equal to one and a half, or even two trillion dollars. This war is the most, so to speak, global war - 62 states out of 73 existing on the planet at that moment, or 80% of the Earth's population, participated in it in one form or another. The war was on the ground, in the skies and on the sea - fighting were conducted on three continents and in the waters of four oceans. This was the only conflict to date in which nuclear weapons were used.

None of the wars can compare in its cruelty with the civil war. According to the “dry” definition, this is between the armed and organized groups within the state. The reasons for such a conflict can be very different: financial, ethnic, religious... But all this is not so important when millions are dying...
1 Chinese Civil War (1927-1950)

The parties to this conflict populous country the world, of course, fought for power. So much and so little, if you look at the result... Chinese National people's party(“Kuomintang”, leader Chiang Kai-shek) opposed Communist Party China (“CPC”, leaders Xi Jinping and Mao Zedong). The war went on intermittently due to other wars (Japanese-Chinese, for example), it is noteworthy that in 1937 the parties united against common enemy- Japan, and after the victory they continued again internal conflict. The exact number of troops is still not known; the number of victims, according to Western historians alone, exceeds 12.5 million people. The number of victims during all the years of this civil war (including refugees, repressed people and those missing in torture chambers) exceeds 35 million people... As is known, the communists won this war. But at what cost? Posterity will judge this.

2 "Taiping Rebellion" (1850-1864)

And again China, but 70 years earlier. The “Peasant War” or “Taiping Rebellion” began in 1850 and became the bloodiest not only in the 19th century, but also in the entire previous history of mankind. Led by Hong Xiuquan, the peasantry, with numerous robbers and river pirates joining it, opposed the Manchu Qing Empire, which at that time included China. Thanks to iron discipline, the peasants won a lot of brilliant victories, and in 1855 Hong Xiuquan created the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom"in southern China (with a population in those years of more than 30 million people). The liberation war brought not only benefits, but also enormous sacrifices: from 14 to 20 million people. Historians still argue about their number today, but in the end one thing is clear: due to internal strife, the “Taiping” lost their leader, and then were completely defeated. The Free Kingdom was destroyed.

3 Russian Civil War (1917-1922)

The biggest armed conflict in Russia, weakened by the First World War, broke out after October revolution 1917 and the subsequent transfer of power to the Bolsheviks. The “Red” workers’ and peasants’ army and their leaders (V.I. Lenin, L.D. Trotsky, S.S. Kamenev, etc.) were opposed by the forces of the anti-Bolshevik authorities and people who lost everything as a result of the revolutionary change of power - for example, officers, Cossacks, intelligentsia, landowners, clergy and many others. Of the many leaders " white movement» we can highlight A.V. Kolchak, L.G. Kornilov. and For both the “reds” and the “whites” the goal of the civil war was to retain power in Russia with the subsequent opportunity to realize their political system. According to numerous historical documents and subsequent research, Russia lost 5 million 750 thousand people or more in this war. As a result of the Bolshevik victory, the Union of Soviets was formed Socialist Republics. Good or bad, this cannot be changed.

4 Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970)

The bloodiest war of the 60s on the ever seething African continent. Nigeria is a state artificially created by Great Britain, which gained independence in 1960. In those years, the population exceeded 60 million people from 300 (!) different cultures and ethnic groups. As a result of the struggle for power, three irreconcilable peoples emerged in one country: the South-East (“Igbo”), the North (“Hausa-Fulani”) and the South-West (“Yoruba”). It is worth mentioning the discovery of large oil reserves in the Niger Delta, which only added fuel to the fire. After a three-year war, not a single participant in this terrible conflict remained a clear winner - the world powers insisted on the unity of Nigeria and an end to all violence (such unanimity is extremely rare today). The UN issued a corresponding document. More than 3 million people became victims of these disputes.

5 Sudanese Civil War (1955-1972/1983-2005)

First and Second civil wars in Sudan lasted a total of 39 years! Both conflicts erupted between the Christian south and the Muslim north (former British and Egyptian territories, respectively). After Sudan gained independence in 1956, government offices were located in the northern part of the country. No matter how stupid, this was the precondition for the start of the confrontation. And when Muslims refused to form federal system government controlled, “thunder struck”! In these terrible wars more than 2.5 million people died (including from hunger) and more than 4 million became refugees... And again the desire to have a little more power than it is, led to dire consequences.

6 Civil war in Rwanda (1990 - 1994)

Armed conflict in Rwanda between supporters of President Juvenal Habyarimana and rebels of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). The war began on October 1, 1990 with the invasion of the country by RPF troops and officially ended on August 4, 1993 with the signing of the Arusha Accords.
However, on the evening of April 6, 1994, returning from a conference, the plane of Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana was shot down by a MANPADS as it approached Kigali. The President of Burundi, Cyprien Ntaryamira, also died along with him.
This led to a new outbreak of violence followed by genocide by the RPF. The number of those killed in 100 days ranged from 500,000 to 1,000,000 people, according to various sources, of which approximately 10% were Hutus.
Hutu and Tutsi are ethno-social groups inhabiting Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and some other countries.

7 Haitian Revolution (1791-1803)

Formally it’s not a civil war, but in fact it is. Haiti is the only example of a successful slave revolt in history. Being a French colony (“Saint-Domingue”), Haiti in those years had more than 500 thousand black slaves and just over 40 thousand white colonists. Living conditions for blacks were so difficult that their mortality rate reduced the population by 4-7% per year. The leaders of the uprising were blacks Francois Dominique Toussaint Louverture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines. None of the sent armies was able to break the resistance. And even Napoleon's regiments were defeated. In 1804, the Republic of Haiti was created. And then the most stupid and monstrous thing begins, inherent in all wars waged by humanity: Jean-Jacques Dessalines proclaimed himself Emperor Jacques I and ordered the slaughter of the entire white population of the island, amounting to just over 41 thousand people. The slave and master switched places. Total dead in this war: 400-450 thousand people.

8 Burmese Civil War (1948-2012)

Burma is a state in the west of the Indochina Peninsula. Official name countries since 2010 - the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (Burma is an unpopular name in the country). Gained independence (again from Great Britain) in 1948, and then war broke out. In the case of Burma, it is interesting not only who is against whom, but also what they fought for. The official government fought a 64-year war with local communists for control and distribution of opium products. Of course, compared to Chinese wars the number of victims is not so great, and according to official data it was about 200 thousand soldiers on each side, but still - to fight for more than half a century over drug trafficking, and even at the state level?

9 American Civil War (1861-1865)

The armed confrontation between the slave-owning South and the non-slave-owning North is the essence of this historical example. Historians have identified two main problems in the relations between two parts of one country: taxes and slavery. The North raised taxes to protect its industries and advocated the abolition of slavery. In the South, on the contrary, since the 17th century, the entire economy was based on black slaves, and it was more profitable for them to trade with the whole world without the tax component of the North. Having organized itself into the CSA (Confederate States of America), the South enlisted the support of Britain, France and others. The North (USA) was not supported by anyone in the world, except for one country - Russia (today it would be useful for the USA to remember this). More than 2 thousand battles took place in this war, more than 620 thousand people were counted as victims.

10 Civil war in Syria (2011-....?)

One of the modern bloody conflicts in which some citizens kill others is the armed confrontation between government forces and Islamist rebel groups in Syria. The UN characterizes this war as an “open religious conflict” and nothing more. Both sides categorically disagree with this formulation, but they are in no hurry to provide their explanation. On the other hand, foreign support for the parties to the conflict is so great that it is time to recognize this as a war between states in Syria. It would seem that it is enough to stop outside help, and the war will subside on its own. But no one is in a hurry to help the Syrians come to peace. Is that necessary? For what? For what? To date, more than 450 thousand people have died, and more than 8 million have become refugees.
Let’s hope, and this is where the list ends: after all, it’s the 21st century, it’s time to resolve disputes in other ways...

Deaths: 8.4 – 138 million

European colonization of Northern and South America technically began back in the 10th century, when Norwegian sailors briefly settled in the area on the coast of modern-day Canada. The systematic invasion covers the period between 1492 and 1691. Over 200 years, tens of millions died - historians cannot name exact figure only because they do not have initial data on the number of indigenous populations of the continents.

Lushan Uprising

Deaths: 13 – 36 million

This devastating war was almost the end great empire. A violent rebellion against the Tang Dynasty continued from 755 AD. until 763. The exact number of deaths cannot be calculated, but most scientists are inclined to figure 36 million people. Two thirds of the population of all China died in the destructive fire of the People's War.

World War I

Deaths: 18 million

A global war, the fire of which engulfed all of Europe. There was literally no quiet place left on the continent: 11 million soldiers and about 7 million civilians gave their souls for the good of an unknown purpose.

Taiping Rebellion

Deaths: 20 – 30 million

And another Chinese uprising that lasted for 15 years, from 1850 to 1864. Most of the deaths did not occur from weapons: famine and then the plague brought the entire country to its knees.

Mongol invasion

Deaths: 40 – 70 million

In the 13th century, the Mongol Empire covered most of Asia and of Eastern Europe. In addition to constant military skirmishes, the nomads brought with them the bubonic plague, which sprouted much later. Historians estimate the death toll at 70 million people.

Second Sino-Japanese War

Deaths: 25 – 30 million

The Chinese dragon and the Japanese tiger could never live peacefully. The conflict, which played out between 1937 and 1945, became the largest Asian war of the 20th century. Most of deaths occurred among civilians, while soldiers died “only” about 4 million.

The Second World War

Deaths: 25 – 30 million

Most countries on the planet took part in World War II. On the battlefields, more than a hundred million people tried to tear out each other's hearts. Holocaust, strategic bombings, nuclear bomb– humanity definitely has something to be proud of.