“Wars are gruesome, wars are bad
Wars are ugly, wars are sad
The only thing that pulls up war
Is the untold stories galore.”
The above lines speak a lot for themselves about the significance of wars in each and everyone’s life. There is war and also there is bloodshed, killings, murders and it brings with it lots of stories with in-depth meanings and untold messages. The one thing every child hated learning in school was the number of casualties, deaths and violence widespread. Let us look at the top 10 revolutions and number of deaths in each that proved to be the deadliest wars.
1. World War II
The second most deadly war of the centuries was the World War II. Although the death toll is debated till date, it was this war which saw the most number of casualties in history, with a number ranging from around 50 to 80 million deaths. Most noted historians and most trusted sources say that the death toll, from all nations which were involved in the war, was something around 65 to 70 million, but however no official number has been considered, for the period from 1939 till 1945.
2. Mongol Conquests
Another deadly war that occurred was the Mongol conquest. The estimated death toll of people was somewhere between 30 to 60 million deaths during the ongoing war, the war which took place from 1206 and 1324. These Mongol invasions, which however took part only during the 13th century led to the decline of the Mongol Empire in S.E Asia. It was one of the bloodiest battles in history, and took a large number of lives during that period. Most historians believe it could have exceeded that number which had not.
3. Qing Dynasty (which conquered the Ming Dynasty)
This was the dynasty which was ruling from 1644 to 1922 and was also the last imperial dynasty in the great country of China. During the course of their reign, the dynasty overtook the over powerful Ming dynasty, and also wars erupted throughout the country of China, for not only political leadership but also for land. By the Qing war’s end, the estimated death toll had reached almost about 25 million people. It also became one of the bloodiest and deadliest wars of the world.
4. Taiping Rebellion
This revolution became the largest ever civil war to ever take place in China. It happened from 1850 to 1864, between the borders of Manchu and Qing dynasties. At least 20 million deaths were recorded during the war, and also many of these were innocent civilians, making it again one of the deadliest wars in China. After this war, China became noted for being one of the noted nations to be encouraged with civil war and it also became the one which brought the entire nation of China against one another during the years during which the war was fought.
5. World War I
The First war for the whole world which was known for its misery and havoc as it made countries fight against each other. This was the “global war” which lasted from the year 1914 to the year 1918 and it also involved all the world’s greatest powers. Rise of imperialism was one of the main reasons the war began, in which Europe emerged and became a leading nation. The death toll during the 4 year span of the war reached almost around 17 million people and only a fraction of the number was taken during the Second World War.
6. The White Lotus Rebellion
Yet another deadly war which was responsible for taking 16 million lives. This war lasted from 1794 to 1804 in the country of China. It led to the end of the powerful Qing dynasty; however the war also recorded the highest point of power during the Qing dynasty period as well. It actually initially began as a kind of tax protest in China which was led by a secret religious organization, but it however quickly emerged as a rebellion against the strong bureaucratic powers.
7. An Lushan Rebellion
Yet another war remembered for its gruesome nature. This war however began in 455, when General An Lush rightfully declared himself as the powerful emperor of Northern China, and also established the Yan dynasty. Also, 13 million deaths were recorded in this battle, which took place between the Tang and Yan dynasty. This was done to determine the strong powerhouse present in Northern China during this period.
8. The Era of Warring States
This marked a slide in the warring nature of the countries. From 475 to 221 BCE, around 10 million deaths occurred, when however the different states of China, openly declared war against one another. With Qin, Wei, Han, Zhao, and many other major powers, which were controlling different portions of China, the religious, social, political, and government powers were in these neighboring states, also led to this major era of war and powerful disunity.
9. The Dungan Revolt
This was an ethnic based war, which was done with religious underpinnings and it also took place during the earliest 19th century in China. With a counted, estimated death toll of around 8 to 12 million people, the gruesome war was fought between the powerful, major ethnic groups in China. The war initially was set off mainly due to an extreme over pricing of bamboo poles, which however took place between a Hui and Han, and also this led to the years of bad fighting which took place in China during this close period.
10. The Chinese Civil War
Finally the major civilian war that happened for proclamation of independence was this war. Taking about 7.5 million lives, the civil war lasted from 1927 till 1949. It was fought between the forces which were loyal to the KMT forces, and also the communist party forces that were in power during this time period. The Republic of China in Taiwan and also the powerful People’s Republic (in China), were formed during this period. It showed which side these locals were loyal to, and also which religious beliefs they actually, sincerely wanted the country to follow during the entire period of the war.