Nine Largest Wars (by Death Toll)
Three of the ten most costly wars, in terms of loss of life, have been waged in the last century. These are of course the two World Wars, then followed by the Second Sino-Japanese War (which is sometimes considered part of World War II, or overlapping with that war). Most of the others involved China or neighboring peoples. The death toll of World War II, being 60 million plus, surpasses all other war-death-tolls by a factor of two. This may be due to significant recent advances in weapons technologies, as well as recent increases in the overall human population.
| Deaths (millions) |
Date | War |
|---|---|---|
| 60–72 | 1939–1945 | World War II (see World War II casualties) |
| 36 | 755–763 | An Shi Rebellion (number exaggerated based on census system,but not considering the territorial shrink and inefficient census system afterwar） |
| 30–60 | 13th century | Mongol Conquests (see Mongol invasions and Tatar invasions) |
| 20 | 1914–1918 | World War I (see World War I casualties) |
| 20 | 1850–1864 | Taiping Rebellion (see Dungan revolt) |
| 20 | 1937–1945 | Second Sino-Japanese War |
| 8–12 | 1862–1877 | Dungan revolt |
| 7–20 | 1370–1405 | Conquests of Tamerlane |
| 5–9 | 1917–1922 | Russian Civil War and Foreign Intervention |
Read more about this topic: War
Famous quotes containing the words largest, wars and/or death:
“The largest business in American handled by a woman is the Money Order Department of the Pittsburgh Post-office; Mary Steel has it in charge.”
—Lydia Hoyt Farmer (1842–1903)
“... the trouble is that most people in this country think that we can stay out of wars in other parts of the world. Even if we stay out of it and save our own skins, we cannot escape the conditions which will undoubtedly exist in other parts of the world and which will react against us.... We are all of us selfish ... and if we can save our own skins, the rest of the world can go. The best we can do is to realize nobody can save his own skin alone. We must all hang together.”
—Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962)
“Do thou but close our hands with holy words,
Then love-devouring death do what he dare,
It is enough I may but call her mine.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)