Most Costly War in Human History

[Yootopia]

The hyperinflation in Germany was caused in part by German workers under a french occupation in one area. Angered that their managers were french, the German government printed more and more money to add to their pay, and decided it would be a good idea to do that elsewhere.

No, it wasn't. The inflationary trends in Germany started up in the war and didn't end until the Rentenmark was brought in. The Ruhr was occupied in 1923/24, but the mark had already lost almost all of its prewar value before the Franco-Belgian invasion in January 1923.

[Bears Armed]

It lasted for 113 years and saw 20,000 villages turn into ghost town, couple that with lenghty period of troops that had the chance to die and you have a figure at least 3 times larger than the Second World War.

The actual periods of outright warfare were separated by lengthier ones when all that happened was a little bit of raiding.

Where did you get that "20'000 villages" figure from? Considering the size of the French population during that period, the probable size of villages, and the fact that a sizeable section of the country was never inside the war-zone, it seems decidely excessive.
Ah! Are you aware of the fact that a major plague epidemic ("the Black Death") spread acrosss Europe during one stage of this period? I rather suspect that a significant proportion of however many Frnech villages did become "ghost towns" around then may actually have done so due to that -- as quite a few villages here in England, well outside of the war-zone, did -- rather than due to the war itself...

[Yootopia]

WW1 mainly killed soldiers. WW2 mainly killed civilians. How is killing civilians less barbaric exactly?

I was thinking more along the lines of the horrors experienced by the soldiers there.

Civilians only got on-the-job learning on how not to starve to death. Soldiers got trained for all kinds of dodgy things.

*edit* sorry about the quotebox fuckup

[Call to power]

I was thinking more along the lines of the horrors experienced by the soldiers there.

a few years in a POW camp if captured > being sadistically killed by your captors or if you were lucky being worked to death

[Pevisopolis]

I was thinking more along the lines of the horrors experienced by the soldiers there.

a few years in a POW camp if captured > being sadistically killed by your captors or if you were lucky being worked to death

Living conditions very, very similar to those in the concentration camps - on the front line.

[Yootopia]

I was thinking more along the lines of the horrors experienced by the soldiers there.

a few years in a POW camp if captured > being sadistically killed by your captors or if you were lucky being worked to death

Living conditions very, very similar to those in the concentration camps - on the front line.

Good call, the catering at Stalingrad was famously opulent, and the Chindits' diet of chicken tikka masala and chippattis is legendary.

[The Eternal Netherwold]

WWII, no contest.

[Call to power]

Living conditions very, very similar to those in the concentration camps - on the front line.

have you any idea of what your saying?

I have never seen pictures of noble great war British Tom rendered little more than a skeleton by meager rations and continual work in Nazi ammunition factories

[Pevisopolis]

I was thinking more along the lines of the horrors experienced by the soldiers there.

a few years in a POW camp if captured > being sadistically killed by your captors or if you were lucky being worked to death

Living conditions very, very similar to those in the concentration camps - on the front line.

Good call, the catering at Stalingrad was famously opulent, and the Chindits' diet of chicken tikka masala and chippattis is legendary.

At least most of them were issued weapons, as opposed to being given orders to grab a gun from a dead comrade, as in Czarist Russia.

[Angleter]

Without WW1 there would have been no Hitler and no WW2. Hence WW1.

[Nilpnt]

The question should have been most costly war besides the world wars. cause the answer is just obvious when you include them.

[Pevisopolis]

The question should have been most costly war besides the world wars. cause the answer is just obvious when you include them.

I think "In Human History" speaks for itself.

[Yootopia]

At least most of them were issued weapons, as opposed to being given orders to grab a gun from a dead comrade, as in Czarist Russia.

Yeah the Eastern front was still not a lark in WW2 though... and as to woefully poorly armed forces, the Chinese had it pretty rough.

[Yootopia]

Without WW1 there would have been no Hitler

A bold claim, seeing as he was born in 1889.

[Eriscia]

World War 2. It was cost the most lives, both in soldiers and civilians, cost the most money, and, probably, saw the greatest destruction considering the boost in technology. Also, while the 100 Years War was a costly one, it wasn't really one big war. It was a series of wars between France and England that were grouped into one categorie since they were all between two houses and based upon Englands want to takeover France. So, with that in mind, I can't consider the 100 Years War most costly.

[Chrobalta]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War#List_o ... death_toll
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wa ... death_toll

[Call to power]

At least most of them were issued weapons, as opposed to being given orders to grab a gun from a dead comrade, as in Czarist Russia.

you clearly haven't played Call of Duty: Finest Hour

Without WW1 there would have been no Hitler and no WW2. Hence WW1.

and without the 30 years war there wouldn't of been a Germany

[Fooltania]

World War 1. Aside from the terrible cost in human life and utter ruination of many countries in Europe due to the fact that they sent so much of their youth to die in a war of attrition, it also allowed Communism to take root in Russia.

I shudder to think of the costs of Lenin's return to Russia. Some will probably disagree with me, but Communism might be the most destructive human force to have ever been unleashed on the planet.

[Drachmar]

found a couple places which had some interesting info related to this topic. thought maybe somebody might like to look at them too.

War Casualties list

wars prior to the 20th century

Interesting links...

So if you go entirely by death toll only by percentage of population:

An Shi Rebellion: 17% of est world's population (1.02 billion today)
Mongol Invasion: 11% of est world's population (0.66 billion today)

[Yootopia]

World War 1. Aside from the terrible cost in human life and utter ruination of many countries in Europe due to the fact that they sent so much of their youth to die in a war of attrition, it also allowed Communism to take root in Russia.

I think that was less down to there being a World War 1 and more down to Tsarist Russia being a total shit-tip which was trying to fight an industrialised war with an overwhelmingly peasanty population.

[Lalinguah]

Do the WW II figures include the many millions (12m or more) killed domestically in Germany but not in battle?

Since those would have died with or without war, I do not consider them war casualties.

i wouldn't include the Chinese civil war, either.

really that is an overestimat historians put it at 2million not 12 you must be thinking of russia who suffered 20 million civilian casualties & 8 million military casualties

[Lalinguah]

It lasted for 113 years and saw 20,000 villages turn into ghost town, couple that with lenghty period of troops that had the chance to die and you have a figure at least 3 times larger than the Second World War.

The actual periods of outright warfare were separated by lengthier ones when all that happened was a little bit of raiding.

Where did you get that "20'000 villages" figure from? Considering the size of the French population during that period, the probable size of villages, and the fact that a sizeable section of the country was never inside the war-zone, it seems decidely excessive.
Ah! Are you aware of the fact that a major plague epidemic ("the Black Death") spread acrosss Europe during one stage of this period? I rather suspect that a significant proportion of however many Frnech villages did become "ghost towns" around then may actually have done so due to that -- as quite a few villages here in England, well outside of the war-zone, did -- rather than due to the war itself...

really that was a long time ago & they did not have enough tech to kill that many nevermind britain & france's populations would be zero

[Maurepas]

Well, I know that the American Civil War was the bloodiest in American History, its the only one I know for sure, so, Imll go with that one...

[Behaved]

I don't see how anyone could possibly NOT know its world war 2... but apparently there are people living under rocks... with internet

Maybe they crawled out and went to the library. Libraries have internet, remember?

[Carlitonia]

The Mongol Invasions were quite bad, but modern estimates still put the total death toll lower than the amount of casualties in WW2.