Adonis Diaries

Wars, Preemptive wars: Casualties and duration in the last two centuries

This article will enumerate the wars and armed conflicts among nations, colonial type wars, and civil wars in the last two centuries.  The wars will be listed chronologically from when they started, their duration, and the estimated casualties (killed among soldiers and civilians).

Keep in mind that beside the killed in the battle fields, an equal number will die within a year from serious injuries, and three-fold that number will be handicapped physically, mentally, or both for a life time.

The 20th century witnessed 140 armed conflicts, totaling more than 150 millions in casualties.  More than twenty conflicts produced over one million killed.  WWI generated about 9 million killed and WWII more than 60 millions.

Two dozen conflicts are still on going for decades and the toll is accumulating.

Mind that in every decade, one billion die of famine and from curable diseases.  The UN estimated that currently there is one billion individual earning less than a dollar per day and have no shelters:  Which means, all the most downtrodden of the billion of mankind will invariably die within the decade of famine and curable diseases.

In the 19th century we registered 15 armed conflicts (not including colonial military activity aggression) and about 5 millions in casualties (not including natives casualties from colonial mishandling; for example, in the Congo alone, 10 million natives died in forced labor and cruelty to satisfying the greed of King Leopold of Belgium in rubber and timber within two decades (1890-1910).

Napoleonic wars in Europe (1790-1815); over one million.

France and Mexico (1860-1865); over 100 thousand.

US civil war (1861-1864); over one million.

South America or the triple alliance (1865-1872); over 500 thousands

US  and Mexico (1865-1875) 200 thousands

France and Prussia (1870-1872); over 500 thousand

Egypt and Ethiopia (1874-1876); over 100 thousand

South Africa (Netherland colonial war 1877-1880); over 100 thousand

France and China (1882-1886); over 100 thousand

France and Siam (colonial war in east Asia 1893-94); over 100 thousand.

China and Japan (1894-96); over 100 thousand.

Italy and Ethiopia (colonial war 1895-97); over 100 thousand.

US and Spain (over colonies in the Americas such as Cuba and central America 1897-99); over 100 thousand.

South Africa (the Boers war between the Netherlands colons and the British new colonial power 1898-1904); over 100 thousand.

US and Spain over the Philippines (1888-1903); over 500 thousand.

Now the list of major conflicts in the 20th century:

Russia-Japan (1905-07); over 100 thousand.

Mexico Revolution (1910-1920); over 3 million

Balkans (1912-1914); over 500 thousand.

WWI (1914-18); over 9 million.

Russia civil war (1916-1924); over 500 thousand.

Finland civil war (1917-18); over 200 thousand.

Italy-Libya (colonial war 1920-22); over 100 thousand.

France and Spain in Morocco (colonial war 1922-1927); over 500 thousand.

China civil war (1928-1950); over 3 million

Italy-Ethiopia (colonial war 1935-37); over 200 thousand.

Spain civil war (1936-1939); over 500 thousand.

Japan-Russia (1939-40); over 100 thousand.

China-Japan (1937-1944); over 4 million.

WWII (1939-1945); over 60 million.

Indonesia revolution (1944-1950); over 500 thousand.

France-North Vietnam (colonial war 1945-1954); over 500 thousand.

Madagascar insurrection from France (1947-48); over 200 thousand.

India-Pakistan (started 1947 and going on); over one million.

Burma (1947 and going on); over 500 thousand.

Korea (1950-1954); over 3 million.

Guatemala (1953-2008); over 500 thousand.

Laos (1954-1986); over 500 thousand.

France-Algeria (independence war 1954-1964); over one million.

South Sudan (1955-1973); over 3 million.

US-Vietnam (1960-1973) 5 million.

Cameroon (Africa 1958-62); over 500 thousand.

Angola (Africa 1962-2003); over 3 million.

Yemen (1963-1978 and restarting); over 500 thousand.

Colombia (1964-2009); over 500 thousand.

Ethiopia-Erytria (1963-1992); over 2 million.

Nigeria (Biafra civil war 1967-1971); over 3 million.

Chad (1964-1991 and restarting); over 500 thousand.

Cambodia (1972-1983); over 3 million.

Uganda (1972 – on going) over one million.

Mozambique (1975-1993); over 3 million.

Lebanon (1975-91); over 300 thousand.

Afghanistan (1978-ongoing); over 3 million.

Iran-Iraq (1980-1988); over 2 million.

South Sudan (1983-ongoing); over 3 million.

Rwanda (1990-1997); over 3 million.

Somalia (disintegration of State 1991-ongoing); over 500 thousand.

Sierra Leon (civil war 1992-2003); over 500 thousand.

Yugoslavia (disintegration 1991-2000); over 400 thousand.

Iraq-US (2003-ongoing); over one million.

Turkey-Kurd (ethnic war 1984-ongoing); over 500 thousands.

Darfur (Sudan 2003-ongoing); over 500 thousand.

Chechnya (1994-1998); over 300 thousand.

Burundi (civil war 1993-2002); over 500 thousand.

Israel-Arab States (1948-ongoing); over 200 thousand.

Israel-Palestinians (transfer activities 1948 ongoing); over 100 thousand.

Central America (Salvador, Nicaragua.. 1978-1994); over 200 thousand.

Thus, this century witnessed ten folds increase in armed conflicts and 30 folds in casualties.

Do you think the trend of mankind civilization is improving?

Since 1945 and the establishment of the UN we witnessed 115 armed conflicts.

Note 1:  Chemical warfare began in 1916 by Germany. Japan used it in China in 1942, and the US in China in 1950, the US in Vietnam and Iraq.  Israel is still using cluster bombs, phosphorous bombs and Dense Inert Metal Explosives (DIME) munitions on the occupied Palestinian people and in Lebanon.

Note 2:  France alone produced 52,000 war airplanes in WWI; the US fabricated 320,000 airplane in WWII and Britain, Russia, and Germany each 100,000 airplanes.  How many in other military hardware?  It is too disgusting to mention.