The civil war maintains the highest american casualty total of any conflict. Japanese war crimes occurred in many asian and pacific countries during the period of japanese imperialism, primarily during the second sinojapanese war and world war ii. List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll. At the high end, it killed 12 million people mostly through disease and famine. Sep 11, 2015 my conclusion is there was a 26years war between 1914 and 1940 in which the second world war bore the marks of the first, and the outcome of the first world war was an unstable peace with many, many turbulent parts that were going to explode in future, but once the german army invaded the soviet union and once it captured virtually all of european jewry under its military control by the.
These numbers usually include the deaths of military personnel which are the direct results of battle or other military wartime actions, as well as the wartime war related deaths of soldiers which are the results of war induced epidemics, famines, atrocities, genocide, etc. Thirty years war 161848, in european history, a series of wars fought by. Regime has killed 2030 million people since world war ii. What are the best history books for the 30 years war. During the next 40 years various regimes killed thousands of people. Somewhere along the way i picked up that the book on the thirty years war was the prosaically entitled the thirty years war written in 1938 by a twentyeightyearold english woman, c.
This list of wars by death toll includes all deaths that are either directly or indirectly caused by the war. An antiwar book right up there with remarques all quiet on the western front. Deaths in wars and conflicts in the 20th century, 3rd ed. Each red dot shows an individual war or episode of killing. Reflections on the thirty years war and the origins of. As brutal as the fighting was in the thirty years war, hundreds of thousands died as a result of famine caused by the conflict as well as an epidemic of typhus, a disease that spread rapidly in areas particularly torn apart by the violence. Important cardinal, main advisor to the french king, louis xiii, signed a diplomatic alliance with the swedish king gustavus adolphus during the 3rd stage of the 30 years war. This is the classic book on the topic that is widely used in college classes on the subject and is probably the most extensively cited on the war. Without any question the period of the thirty years war, from 1618 to 1648, was. Whilst the conflict took place mainly in the area of modern day germany, it involved many of the great european powers at that time.
The number of people who lived between 50,000 bc and ad 2011 has been guesstimated at 107,602,707,791 by demographer carl haub. Which of these four calamities killed most human beings. The absolute number of war deaths has been declining since 1946. Jun 24, 2015 the red line in rosers chart shows the worldwide rate of war deaths per 100,000 people, streamlined over a 15year moving average. It raged between small fiefdoms of protestants and catholics swirling around the holy roman empire or western rome. Thirty years war 161848, in european history, a series of wars fought by various nations for various reasons, including religious, dynastic, territorial, and commercial rivalries. A deadly continental struggle, the thirty years war devastated. The thirty years war that devastated large parts of europe between 16181648, resulting in the deaths of up to two thirds of the population in the worst affected areas, was discussed extensively in history classes back when i was in high school but that i didnt remember much. My conclusion is there was a 26years war between 1914 and 1940 in which the second world war bore the marks of the first, and the outcome of the first world war was an unstable peace with many, many turbulent parts that were going to explode in future, but once the german army invaded the soviet union and once it captured virtually all of european jewry under its military control by the. The thirty years war was really a series of wars, waged from 1618 to 1648. During the war the bulk of the deaths were south koreans, north koreans and chinese. Is it true that more germans died after the war ended in 1945. The thirty years war was a 17thcentury religious conflict fought primarily in central europe.
The war lasted for 30 years, but the problems that caused the war were not fixed for a long time after the war was over. May 10, 2020 during the war the bulk of the deaths were south koreans, north koreans and chinese. Mar 15, 2017 a jew is stopped in april 1943 by german soldiers after the rising of the ghetto of warsaw during the second world war afpgetty images she said estimates range between 160,000250,000 jews who. Though the war took place mainly within modernday germany, many. Sep 26, 2017 the thirty years war was a major european war that occurred during the 17th century. May 31, 2017 the thirty years war was one of the bloodiest events in european history deadlier than the black death and world war ii, in terms of the proportion of the population lost. At least 45 million people died unnecessary deaths during chinas great leap forward from 1958 to 1962, including 2. Japanese war crimes occurred in many asian and pacific countries during the period of. Whole swaths of central europe were depopulated, abandoned to wild pigs. This list of wars by death toll includes all deaths that are either directly or indirectly caused. History of europe history of europe the thirty years war. Troop levels and deaths during the war in afghanistan, 200120. Infectious diseases have killed more human beings throughout history than any other causes, and that by a wide margin. The war originated with dual crises at the continents centre.
Wilson discusses specifically what is meant by the term mercenary in the context of the thirty years war. Researchers catalogue the grisly deaths of soldiers in the. It is one of the few books that are available in english that address the murder of. Peter wilson offers the first new history in a generation of a horrifying. The best books on the thirty years war fought in europe 16181648, recommended by.
Leader of sweden king, alliance with richelieu during 30 years war, is a lutheran. Almost four centuries on, the thirty years war teaches us how protracted conflict. The thirty years war began a dispute between the hapsburg dynasty and the protestant monarchs of northern and central europe over the succession in the kingdom of bohemia that rapidly spiraled into a generalized struggle for geopolitical influence made rancorous by. Its long, and theres lots of detail too much if you dont already have a good background knowledge of the period. From what ive read, the thirty years war killed around 30%. Its destructive campaigns and battles occurred over most of europe, and, when it ended with the treaty of westphalia in 1648, the map of europe had been irrevocably changed.
An animated datadriven documentary about war and peace, the fallen of world war ii looks at the human cost of the second world war and sizes. The thirty years war from 1618 to 1648 produced an amazing amount of casualties. The thirty years war caused things like famine and disease in almost every country involved. In some years in the early postwar era, around half a million people died through direct violence in wars. Wedgwood a descendent of the potter who founded the wedgwood company. The allied attempt to exterminate germany after 1945, should be on the mandatory highschool and college reading list for history and sociology. The following numbers reflect only reported war deaths and exclude those wounded andor missing. Its destructive campaigns and battles occurred over most of europe, and, when it ended, the map of europe had been irrevocably changed.
Eventually major powers entered the war, spain, sweden, dutch forces, germany, saxony, bavaria, and france all poured resources and soldiers into this. Research for the portions of this study concerning the events in somalia, rwanda, and bosnia were carried out under a research and writing grant from the john d. The decline of the absolute number of battle deaths can be. In some years in the early post war era, around half a million people died through direct violence in wars. American war deaths throughout history military factory. In its first 100 years of existence, over 683,000 americans lost their lives, with the civil war accounting for 623,026 of that total 91. The thirty years war, a combination of numerous religious, political and economic factors, was probably the most defining moment in european history until the first world war, and so it should be ripe with royal drama, thrilling exploits, military spectacles and political intrigue. The earliest recorded pandemic happened during the peloponnesian war. The thirty years war 161848, though preeminently a german war, was also of great importance for the history of the whole of europe, not only because nearly all the countries of western europe took part in it, but also on account of its connection with the other great european wars of the same era and on account of its final results.
This book is a supremely detailed account of the 30 years war. The thirty years war had a profound impact on europe, and some of the consequences of this war can be seen in the changes that were made to european society. It remains one of the longest and most brutal wars in human history, with more than 8 million casualties resulting from military battles as well as. It is one of the most complex wars ever fought and it resulted at the low estimate in 4 million deaths. As late as the 1960s, germans placed it ahead of both world wars and the black death as. The range of confessions in germany, 1650, as a result of the thirty years. Maos great leap forward killed 45 million in four years. New book on killing of jews in poland exposes raw nerve. Wilsons masterful book will stand as the definitive account of this epic conflict. There were several reasons that the thirty years war started.
Macarthur foundation program on peace and international cooperation, awarded in 1994. It remains one of the longest and most brutal wars in human. Researchers catalogue the grisly deaths of soldiers in the thirty. At least 45 million people were worked, starved or beaten to death in china over these four years. Statistical analysis of changes in casualty rates i estimated and compared the casualty rates in the two conflicts over time. Telling the story of the battle of stalingrad fully would help to undercut the dangerous version of the wars myths. Disease and famine took the lions share of the death toll. Thirty years war simple english wikipedia, the free.
Protestant princes allowed to continue religious practices. Dyadkin shows that world war ii took close to 30 million lives and that during 195053 another 450,000 died in prison camps. Researchers catalogue the grisly deaths of soldiers in the thirty years war the 47 bodies were found in a mass grave from the battle of lutzen, one of the turning points in the devastating. Its destructive campaigns and battles occurred over most of europe, and, when it ended, the. It may come as a surprise, for instance, that 75 years later, that parts of the story of stalingrad remain cloaked in myth. After the disease passed through libya, ethiopia and egypt, it crossed the athenian walls as the spartans. It resulted in the deaths of over 8 million people, including 20. From what ive read, the thirty years war killed around. Oct 26, 2016 an animated datadriven documentary about war and peace, the fallen of world war ii looks at the human cost of the second world war and sizes up the numbers to other wars in history, including.
Regime has killed 2030 million people since world war. The thirty years war produced astonishing casualties. Thirty years war, 161848, in european history, a series of wars fought by various nations for various reasons, including religious, dynastic, territorial, and commercial rivalries. The thirty years war was a war fought primarily in central europe between 1618 and 1648. Wilsons book is a major work, the first new history of the thirty years war in a. Best books on the thirty years war five books expert. This amount to three times europes death rate during world war ii. If total casualties for these conflicts are assigned exclusively to japanese aggression the toll could reach some 30 million deaths.
Jun 11, 2018 john harriss book tells the story of one voluntary battalion from its inception during the naive jingoism 1914 to its eventual destruction on the first day of the sommes hostilities. A troopyear is the equivalent of a single soldier serving for a period of a year. Oct 15, 2011 this book is a supremely detailed account of the 30 years war. Europe and left more than onefifth of the german population dead. Jun 06, 2017 the thirty years war was really a series of wars, waged from 1618 to 1648. In 1999 the washington post reported that an historical clarification commission concluded that over 200,000 people had been killed during the civil war and that there had been 42,000 individual human rights violations, 29,000 of them fatal, 92% of which were committed by the. The thirty years war was one of the bloodiest events in european history deadlier than the black death and world war ii, in terms of the proportion of the population lost. Sep 05, 2010 at least 45 million people died unnecessary deaths during chinas great leap forward from 1958 to 1962, including 2. Wedgwoods book which is probably the best book, in english, on the subject, you may also want to try the following. Europe during the thirty years war book i of ii illustrated by adolphus ward and george edmundson. The thirty years war had lasting effects as it killed as many people, industry suffered and so did all the infrastructure, such as it was, in western europe. Catholics and protestants fought over control of germany.
After the disease passed through libya, ethiopia and egypt, it. Its a very challenging topic, since the conflict was multisided, multifaceted and lasted for an entire generation. While all wars are in some way said to bring out the worst in mankind, the thirty years war, as historian peter wilson writes became a benchmark of brutality for centuries. The red line in rosers chart shows the worldwide rate of war deaths per 100,000 people, streamlined over a 15year moving average. Like matter and antimatter, communists and anticommunists annihilated one another.
He wrote a great account of his time fighting as a mercenry in the 30 years war. The 30 years war, which took place in the first half of the 17th century, is one of the most devastating wars in european history. One of the most destructive conflicts in human history, it resulted in eight million fatalities not only from military engagements but also from violence, famine, and plague. Is it true that more germans died after the war ended in.
The thirty years war that devastated large parts of europe between 16181648, resulting in the deaths of up to two thirds of the population in the worst affected areas, was discussed extensively in history classes back when i was in high school but that i didnt remember much more than the broad strokes about. A jew is stopped in april 1943 by german soldiers after the rising of the ghetto of warsaw during the second world war afpgetty images she said. Because the first outbreaks of the disease were often spread via troop movements, the temptation is to add all the worlds pandemic deaths to the death toll of world war i, thereby raising it from ca. The thirty years war began with a naive ruler asserting these rights in an area that only partially belonged to the empire, though the emperor reacted harshly to this and used it as a reason.
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