The most famous wars in the world. The best warriors in the world

Duration: 25 years
Ruler: Ivan IV the Terrible
A country: Russian Kingdom
Result: Russia was defeated

The purpose of this war was the access of the Russian kingdom to the Baltic Sea and the provision of trade and political ties with Europe, which the Livonian Order actively prevented. Some historians call the Livonian War, which lasted 25 years, the work of a lifetime.

The reason for the start of the Livonian War was the question of the “Yuriev tribute”. The fact is that the city of Yuriev, later named Dorpat, and even later Tartu, was founded by Yaroslav the Wise and, according to the agreement of 1503, an annual tribute was to be paid to the Russian kingdom for it and the surrounding territory, but this was not done. The war was successful for the Russian kingdom only until 1568.

The Estonian city of Tartu was founded by Yaroslav the Wise

Ivan IV the Terrible lost the war and the Russian state found itself cut off from the Baltic Sea. The war ended with the signing of two truces: Yam-Zapolsky in 1582 and Plyussky in 1583. Russia lost all previously made conquests, as well as significant amounts of land on the border with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the coastal Baltic cities: Koporye, Ivangorod and Yama.

Duration: 20 years
Ruler: Peter I the Great
A country: Russian Kingdom
Result: Russia won

The Northern War began when the Northern Alliance declared war on Sweden. The Northern Alliance was created on the initiative of the Elector of Saxony and King Augustus II of Poland. The Northern Union also included the Danish-Norwegian Kingdom, headed by King Christian V, and the Russian Kingdom, headed by Peter I. It is necessary to clarify the fact that the population of Sweden then exceeded the population of the Russian Kingdom.

In 1700, after a series of quick Swedish victories, the Northern Alliance collapsed, Denmark withdrew from the war in 1700, and Saxony in 1706. After this, until 1709, when the Northern Alliance was restored, the Russian state fought the Swedes mainly on its own.

The following fought on the side of the Russian Kingdom: Hanover, Holland, Prussia and part of the Ukrainian Cossacks. On Sweden's side are England, the Ottoman Empire, Holstein and part of the Ukrainian Cossacks.

Victory in the Northern War determined the creation of the Russian Empire

Three periods can be distinguished in the Great Northern War:

1700-1706 - the period of the coalition war and the triumph of Swedish weapons
1707-1709 - single combat between Russia and Sweden, which ended in the victory of a Russian soldier near Poltava
1710-172 - finishing off Sweden by Russia together with former allies, who took advantage of the opportunity and rushed to the aid of the winner

Duration: 6 years
Ruler: Catherine II the Great
A country: Russian empire
Result: Russia won

The cause of this war was the French cabinet inciting the Porte against Russia in order to provide assistance to the Bar Confederation. The reason for its announcement was the attack of the Haidamaks on the Turkish border town of Balta. This is one of the most important wars between the Russian and Ottoman empires.

During the First Turkish War of Catherine, the Russian army under the command of the famous commanders Alexander Suvorov and Pyotr Rumyantsev triumphantly defeated Turkish troops in the battles of Larga, Kagul and Kozludzhi, and the Russian fleet under the command of admirals Alexei Orlov and Grigory Spiridov inflicted historical defeats on the Turkish fleet in the Battle of Chios and at Chesma.

As a result of the war, the Russian Empire grew in territory

The main goals of this war:

for Russia - gaining access to the Black Sea,
for Turkey - receiving the Podolia and Volyn promised to it by the Bar Confederation, expanding its possessions in the Northern Black Sea region and the Caucasus, capturing Astrakhan and establishing a protectorate over the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

As a result of the war, the Russian Empire grew in territory: it included New Russia and the northern Caucasus, and the Crimean Khanate came under its protectorate. Turkey paid Russia an indemnity of 4.5 million rubles, and also ceded the northern coast of the Black Sea along with two important ports.

On July 21, 1774, the Ottoman Empire signed the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Treaty with Russia, as a result of which the Crimean Khanate formally gained independence under Russian protectorate.

4 War with Persia 1804-1813

Duration: 8 years
Ruler:
A country: Russian empire
Result: Russia won
Peculiarities:

Persia was extremely dissatisfied with the growing Russian power in the Caucasus and decided to fight this power before it had time to take deep roots. The annexation of Eastern Georgia to Russia and the capture of Ganzhi by Tsitsianov served as catalysts for the start of this war.

In the summer of 1804, hostilities began: numerous Persian troops began to attack Russian posts. The Persian Shah of Persia, Baba Khan, vowed to drive out of Georgia, slaughter and exterminate all Russians to the last man. The forces were very unequal: Tsitsianov had only 8,000 people scattered throughout the South Caucasus, while the Persians had the army of Crown Prince Abbas Mirza of 40,000 people.

A characteristic episode of the war was the battle on the Askeran River, where a small detachment of Colonel Karyagin - 500 rangers of the 17th regiment and the Tiflis musketeers - stood in the way of the Persian troops. For two weeks, from June 24 to July 7, a handful of Russian braves repelled the attacks of 20,000 Persians, and then broke through their ring, transporting both their guns over their bodies, as if on a living bridge. Dedicated to the dedication of Russian soldiers. The initiative of the living bridge belongs to private Gavrile Sidorov, who paid with his life for his selflessness.

The Living Bridge is an example of the dedication of Russian soldiers

With this resistance, Karyagin saved Georgia. The offensive impulse of the Persians was broken, and in the meantime Tsitsianov managed to gather troops and take measures to defend the country. On July 28th, at Zagam, Abbas Mirza suffered a crushing defeat. Tsitsianov began to bring the surrounding khans into submission, but on February 8, 1806 he was treacherously killed under the walls of Baku.

On October 12 (24), 1813, the Peace of Gulistan was signed in Karabakh, according to which Persia recognized the entry into the Russian Empire of Eastern Georgia and Northern Azerbaijan, Imereti, Guria, Mengrelia and Abkhazia. In addition, Russia received the exclusive right to maintain a navy in the Caspian Sea.

Duration: 2 years
Ruler: Alexander I Pavlovich the Blessed
A country: Russian empire
Result: Russia won
Peculiarities: Russia fought two wars simultaneously

The whole of 1811 was spent in preparations for the coming great war, both in France and in Russia, which still maintained diplomatic relations for the sake of appearance. Alexander I wanted to take the initiative into his own hands and invade German lands, but this was prevented by the unpreparedness of the Russian army and the ongoing war with Turkey in the Caucasus. Napoleon forced his father-in-law, the Austrian emperor, and his vassal, the Prussian king, to place their armed forces at his disposal.

By the spring of 1812, the forces of the Russian Empire amounted to three armies with a total of 200,000 people.

1st Army - Commander: Barclay de Tolly. Number: 122,000 bayonets. The army observed the line of the Neman from Russia to Lida.
2nd Army - Commander: Bagration. Number: 45,000 bayonets. The army was located between the Neman and the Bug, near Grodna and Brest.
3rd Army - Commander: Tormasov. Number: 43,000 bayonets. The army gathered near Lutsk covered Volyn.

The Patriotic War consists of two large periods:
1) the war with Napoleon in Russia - 1812
2) foreign campaigns of the Russian army - 1813-1814

In turn, the foreign campaigns of the Russian army consist of two campaigns:

1813 campaign - liberation of Germany
1814 campaign - defeat of Napoleon

The war ended with the almost complete destruction of Napoleonic army, the liberation of Russian territory and the transfer of hostilities to the lands of the Duchy of Warsaw and Germany in 1813. Among the reasons for the defeat of Napoleon’s army, the Russian historian Troitsky names:

popular participation in the war and the heroism of the Russian army,
the unpreparedness of the French army for combat operations over large areas and in the natural and climatic conditions of Russia,
military leadership talents of the Russian commander-in-chief M.I. Kutuzov and other generals.

6 Crimean War 1853-1856 (3 years)

Duration: 3 years
Other name: Eastern War
Ruler: Nicholas I Pavlovich
A country: Russian empire
Result: Russia was defeated

It was a war between the Russian Empire and a coalition of several countries: the British, French, Ottoman Empires and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The fighting took place in the Caucasus, in the Danube principalities, in the Baltic, Black, Azov, White and Barents seas and in Kamchatka.

The fiercest battles of the Eastern War took place in Crimea.

The Ottoman Empire was in decline and only direct military assistance from Russia, England, France and Austria allowed the Turkish Sultan to twice prevent the capture of Constantinople by the rebellious vassal Muhammad Ali of Egypt. At the same time, the struggle of the Orthodox peoples for liberation from the Ottoman yoke continued. These factors led to the desire of the Russian Emperor Nicholas I to liberate the Orthodox peoples of the Balkan Peninsula from the oppression of the Ottoman Empire. This was opposed by Great Britain and Austria. In addition, Great Britain sought to oust Russia from the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and from Transcaucasia.

Sevastopol Bay remained under Russian control

During the fighting, the coalition forces managed to concentrate quantitatively and qualitatively superior army and navy forces in the Black Sea. This allowed them to successfully land an airborne corps in Crimea, inflict a series of defeats on the Russian army, and, after a year-long siege, capture the southern part of Sevastopol. But Sevastopol Bay remained under Russian control.

On the Caucasian front, Russian troops managed to inflict a number of defeats on the Turkish army and capture Kars. However, the threat of Austria and Prussia joining the war forced Russia to accept the peace terms imposed by the Allies. In 1856, the Treaty of Paris was signed with the following terms:

Russia is obliged to return to the Ottoman Empire everything captured in southern Bessarabia, at the mouth of the Danube River and in the Caucasus;
The Russian Empire was prohibited from having a combat fleet in the Black Sea, which was declared neutral waters;
Russia stopped military construction in the Baltic Sea, and much more.

At the same time, the goals of separating significant territories from Russia were not achieved. The terms of the agreement reflected a virtually equal course of hostilities, when the allies, despite all efforts and heavy losses, were unable to advance beyond the Crimea, and suffered defeats in the Caucasus.

Duration: 3 years
Ruler: Nicholas II Alexandrovich
A country: Russian empire
Result: Russia was defeated
Peculiarities: The Russian Empire ceased to exist

The reason for the First World War was the assassination of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914 in the Bosnian city of Sarajevo. The killer was a Serbian student from Bosnia, Gavrila Princip, who was a member of the Mlada Bosna organization, which fought for the unification of all South Slavic peoples into one state.

This caused a storm of indignation and an explosion of militant sentiment in Vienna, which saw in the incident a convenient reason to “punish” Serbia, which opposed the establishment of Austrian influence in the Balkans. Nevertheless, the ruling circles of Germany showed the greatest activity in starting the war. On July 10, 1914, Austria-Hungary presented an ultimatum to Serbia, which contained demands that were obviously unacceptable to Serbia, which forced the Serbs to reject them. On July 16, 1914, the Austrian bombardment of Belgrade began.

Russia could not remain aloof from the conflict:
the inevitable defeat of Serbia meant for Russia the loss of influence in the Balkans

As a result of the war, four empires ceased to exist:

Russian,
Austro-Hungarian,
Ottoman,
German

The participating countries lost more than 10 million people in soldiers killed, about 12 million civilians killed, and about 55 million were wounded.

8 Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 (4 years)

Duration: 4 years
Ruler: Joseph Stalin (Dzhugashvili)
A country: USSR
Result: Russia won

The war of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics against Nazi Germany and its allies: Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Finland, Croatia.

The development of a plan for an attack on the USSR began in December 1940. The plan was code-named “Barbarossa” and was designed for a “lightning war” - blitzkrieg. The task of Army Group North was to capture Leningrad. The most powerful group, “Center,” is aimed at Moscow. Army Group South was supposed to occupy Ukraine.

According to the calculations of the German command, within six months the fascist troops were supposed to reach the Arkhangelsk-Astrakhan line. From the beginning of 1941, there was a massive transfer of German troops to the Soviet borders.

Nazi Germany's Blitzkrieg failed

On June 22, 1941, German troops crossed the Soviet border. At the time of the attack the balance of forces was as follows. By personnel: Germany – 1.5, USSR – 1; for tanks: respectively, 1 to 3.1; for airplanes: 1 to 3.4. Thus, Germany had an advantage in the number of troops, but in terms of the number of tanks and aircraft, the Red Army was superior to the Wehrmacht.

The most famous battles of the Great Patriotic War:

defense of the Brest Fortress
Battle for Moscow
Battle of Rzhev
Battle of Stalingrad
Kursk Bulge
battle for the Caucasus
defense of Leningrad
defense of Sevastopol
defense of the Arctic
liberation of Belarus - Operation Bagration
battle of berlin

The total number of people killed in the Great Patriotic War is about 20 million citizens of the USSR.

In the history of civilization, military conflicts have always occurred. And each protracted conflict differed in its duration. We bring to your attention the top 10 longest wars in human history.

Vietnam War

The well-known military conflict between the United States and Vietnam lasted eighteen years (1957-1975). In the history of America, some facts of these events are still silent. In Vietnam, this war is considered not only a tragic, but also a heroic period.

The immediate cause of serious clashes was the rise of communists to power in the Middle Kingdom and South Vietnam. Accordingly, the US President no longer wanted to put up with the potential for a communist “domino effect.” Therefore, the White House decided to use military force.

American combat units outgunned the Vietnamese. But the national army brilliantly used guerrilla methods in the fight against the enemy.

As a result, the war ended with a mutually beneficial agreement between the states.

North War

Perhaps the longest war in Russian history is the Northern War. In 1700, Russia collided with one of the most powerful powers of that era - Sweden. The first military failures of Peter I became the impetus for the start of serious reforms. As a result, by 1703, the Russian autocrat had already won a number of victories, after which the entire Neva was in his hands. That is why the Tsar decided to found a new capital there - St. Petersburg.

A little later, the Russian army conquered Dorpat and Narva.

Meanwhile, the Swedish emperor demanded revenge, and in 1708 his units again invaded Russia. This was the beginning of the decline of this northern power.

First, Russian soldiers defeated the Swedes near Lesnaya. And then - near Poltava, in the decisive battle.

Defeat in this battle put an end not only to the ambitious plans of Charles XII, but also to the prospects of the Swedish “great power”.

A few years later the new one sued for peace. The corresponding agreement was concluded in 1721, and it became disastrous for the state. Sweden has practically ceased to be considered a great power. In addition, she lost almost all of her possessions.

Peloponnesian conflict

This war lasted twenty-seven years. And such ancient states-policies as Sparta and Athens were involved in it. The conflict itself did not begin spontaneously. Sparta had an oligarchic form of government, Athens - democracy. There was also a kind of cultural confrontation. Overall, these two strong leaders could not help but meet on the battlefield.

The Athenians carried out sea raids on the shores of the Peloponnese. The Spartans invaded the territory of Attica.

After some time, both warring parties entered into a peace treaty, but a few years later Athens violated the terms. And hostilities began again.

In general, the Athenians lost. So, they were defeated near Syracuse. Then, with the support of Persia, Sparta managed to build its own fleet. This flotilla finally defeated the enemy at Aegospotami.

The main result of the war was the loss of all Athenian colonies. In addition, the policy itself was forced to join the Spartan Union.

A war that lasted three decades

Over the course of three decades (1618-1648), literally all European powers took part in religious clashes. It all started with a conflict between German Protestants and Catholics, after which this local incident turned into a large-scale war in Europe. Note that Russia was also involved in this conflict. Only Switzerland remained neutral.

During the years of this merciless war, the number of inhabitants of Germany decreased by several orders of magnitude!

By the end of the clashes, the warring parties concluded a peace treaty. The consequence of this document was the formation of an independent state - the Netherlands.

Clash of factions of the British aristocracy

In medieval England in the second half of the 15th century there was active military action. Contemporaries called them the War of the Scarlet and White Roses. In essence, it was a series of civil wars that, in total, lasted 33 years. It was a confrontation between factions of the aristocracy for power. The main participants in the conflict were representatives of the Lancastrian and York branches.

Years later, after numerous battles in the war, the Lancastrians won. But after some time, a representative of the Tudor dynasty ascended the throne. This royal family ruled for almost 120 years.

Liberation in Guatemala

The Guatemalan conflict lasted thirty-six years (1960-1996). It was a civil war. The opposing sides are representatives of Indian tribes, primarily the Mayans, and the Spaniards.

The fact is that in Guatemala in the 50s, with the support of the United States, a coup was carried out. Members of the opposition began to form a rebel army. The liberation movement expanded. The partisans repeatedly managed to occupy cities and villages. As a rule, governing bodies were created immediately.

Meanwhile, the war dragged on. The Guatemalan authorities admitted that a military solution to this conflict is impossible. The result was a peace that was the official protection of the 23 Indian groups in the country.

In total, about 200 thousand people died during the war, most of whom were Mayans. Approximately another 150 thousand are considered missing.

Half a century of conflict

The war between the Persians and Greeks lasted for half a century (499-449 BC). By the beginning of the conflict, Persia was considered a powerful and warlike power. Greece or Hellas as such did not exist on the map of the Ancient World at all. There were only disconnected policies (city-states). They seemed unable to resist the great Persia.

Be that as it may, suddenly the Persians began to suffer crushing defeats. Moreover, the Greeks were able to agree on joint military action.

At the end of the war, Persia was forced to recognize the independence of the Greek city-states. In addition, she had to give up the captured territories.

And Hellas was in for an unprecedented rise. The country then began to enter a period of greatest prosperity. She was already laying the foundations of culture, which the whole world later began to follow.

A war that lasted one century

What is the longest war in history? You will learn about this further. But the record holder included the century-long conflict between England and France. In fact, it lasted more than one century - 116 years. The fact is that both sides were forced to agree to a truce in this long battle. The cause was a plague epidemic.

At that time, both states were regional leaders. They had powerful armies and serious allies.

Initially, England began to conduct military operations. The island kingdom sought to regain, first of all, Anjou, Maine and Normandy. The French side was eager to expel the British from Aquitaine. Thus, she tried to unite all her territories.

The French formed their own militia. The British used mercenary soldiers for military operations.

In 1431, the legendary Joan of Arc, who was a symbol of the freedom of France, was executed. After this, the militia began to primarily use guerrilla methods in the fight. As a result, years later, England, exhausted by the war, admitted defeat, having lost almost all possessions on French territory.

Punic War

At the very beginning of the history of Roman civilization, Rome managed to practically subjugate all of Italy. By this time, the Romans wanted to extend their influence to the territory of the rich island of Sicily. The powerful trading power Carthage also pursued these interests. The inhabitants of ancient Rome called the Carthaginians Punes. As a result, hostilities began between these countries.

One of the longest wars in the world lasted 118 years. True, active hostilities lasted four decades. The rest of the time the war went on in a kind of sluggish phase.

Ultimately, Carthage was defeated and destroyed. Note that during all the years of the war, about a million people died, which was a lot for those times...

335 Years of Strange War

The obvious record holder for duration was the war between the Scilly Archipelago and the Netherlands. How long did the longest war in history last? It lasted more than three centuries and was very different from other military conflicts. At least because in all 335 years the opponents have not been able to shoot at each other.

In the first half of the 17th century, the Second Civil War was going on in England. Famous defeated the royalists. Fleeing from pursuit, the losers arrived on the shores of the Scilly Archipelago, which belonged to a prominent royalist.

Meanwhile, part of the Dutch fleet decided to support Cromwell. They hoped for an easy victory, but this did not happen. After the defeat, the Dutch authorities demanded compensation. The royalists responded with a categorical refusal. Then, at the end of March 1651, the Dutch officially declared war on Scilly, after which... they returned home.

A little later, the royalists were persuaded to surrender. But this strange “war” officially continued. It ended only in 1985, when it was discovered that formally Scilly was still at war with Holland. The following year, this misunderstanding was resolved, and the two countries were able to sign a peace treaty...

Humanity has been obsessed with wars since ancient times. From the bloody mud of the Colosseum to the sacrificial murders of the Aztec land, it would be quite difficult to find a culture, even in modern times, that was not involved in warfare in some way.

Admit it, this list caught your eye, didn’t it? That's okay, because right now we're going to introduce you to the 25 most fearless and deadliest warriors in human history!

25. Gladiators

"Bearers of the Sword" in Latin, most of these Roman warriors were slaves and survived not only by fighting each other, but also by engaging in combat with wild animals and convicted criminals in huge arenas.

Rarely did any of these warriors, whose fate was decided by the assembled crowd of spectators, survive more than 10 battles and live longer than 30 years.

24. Apache

Known for their bravery and ferocity in battle, Apache warriors were undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with. By the time the Apaches surrendered to the United States in 1886, only about 50 warriors remained, including their fearless leader, the now famous Geronimo.

23. Vikings

The Vikings were terrifying, especially to their European neighbors, because they were very aggressive and used unconventional fighting styles, particularly the use of battle axes.

22. French Musketeers

Combining chic with real lethality, the Musketeers were a group of elite bodyguards for the King of France. Capable of both piercing an enemy at close range and killing from afar, they did their job, and did it well.

21. Spartans

As the Greek historian Thucydides once wrote, when a Spartan went to war, his wife gave him his shield and said: “With the shield or on the shield.”

Trained from the age of 7, boys were taken from their mothers and sent to military training camps. There they faced a number of difficulties, including a lack of food and clothing, which often forced them to turn to the path of thieves. If they were caught, they were severely punished - however, not for theft, but for the fact that they were caught.

20. Medieval knights

The equivalent of a modern tank, the medieval knight was covered in armor and could sneak through enemy lines with ease. However, not everyone could achieve the status of knight, and it was often quite expensive to hold a knighthood. A good war horse could cost as much as a small plane.

19. Russian special forces

Short for "special forces", very little is known about these warriors due to the extreme secrecy of their training and operations. However, they managed to build a formidable reputation for themselves as one of the most elite special forces units in the world.

18. French Foreign Legion

Founded in 1831, the French Foreign Legion is a unit that allows foreign mercenaries to enlist and fight for French interests around the world.

Having achieved its reputation in pop culture as a place where wronged men go to serve in order to start their lives anew, it is in fact an elite fighting force whose members are repeatedly recruited by other armies.

17. Ming Warriors

As one of the first military men to use gunpowder in their ranks, the Ming warriors were a formidable force to be reckoned with and managed to expand the borders of China.

They were not only ruthless, but also very effective warriors, since each division of the Ming army had to support itself and produce its own food.

16. Mongol horsemen

The Mongols had only one mission they were focused on - destruction. Their ruthless mentality led them to conquer more of the world than any other empire in human history. And this is not just because they were skilled riders - they could pierce the enemy’s heart with an arrow while galloping.

15. "Immortals"

According to Herodotus, the "Immortals" were a group of heavy infantry, consisting of 10,000 of the strongest... always. It didn't matter how many of them you killed. As soon as one died, another took his place. Ten thousand - no more, no less. This is how they supposedly got their name. They just seemed to never die.

14. US Army Rangers

Dating back to the days of the colonial army, when American generals combined European technology with Indian warfare tactics, the Rangers are well known for their fearlessness as the world's first light infantry strike force.

13. Rajputs

The word Rajput literally means "son of the king" (or "son of the raj"), so you couldn't just wake up one day and decide to become a Rajput warrior - they had to be born.

These legendary harbingers of death are still active in the Indian Army. It is speculated that their prowess is due to the fact that their homeland, Rajasthan, was located right on the Indian border, making them the first line of defense against enemy invaders.

12. Comanche

As Jay Redhawk, a Comanche Indian, once said, “We are warriors from birth.” Having an almost legendary status, they are often referred to as the "Lords of the Plains". In fact, it is rumored that Comanches could shoot arrows at their enemy while hanging from the neck of their horse.

11. Centurions

The concept of centurions was revolutionary for its time, as it was the first time in history that a person could lead a legitimate life based entirely on warfare and killing. Although in order to earn such a position, a Roman soldier must work his way up the career ladder of the most powerful military force on the planet and prove that there is no one better.

10. Zande Warriors

The Zande were a tribe that struck fear throughout Central Africa with their brutality on the battlefield. They could even polish their teeth to make their appearance even more terrifying; they constantly repeated “yum-yum,” which is why neighboring tribes gave them the nickname “great eaters.”

9. Israeli commandos

Charged with defending one of the smallest nations on the planet from almost every military force within thousands of miles, the Israel Defense Force has no choice - it just has to be good.

Naturally, the best of the best emerge from among the best. Known as Sayret or Commandos for short, this elite group of fighters never rests when engaging the enemy.

8. Aztec Warriors

The Aztecs had two targets to attack. Firstly, they needed land to collect tribute, and secondly, they needed captives to sacrifice during religious ceremonies.

War was such an integral part of their culture that when a new leader was elected, he had to immediately organize a military campaign to prove his strength.

7. Maori warriors

With a reputation for eating their enemies to earn their "Mana", their respect, the Maori were fierce warriors who would perform a "Peruperu", or war dance, before attacking their enemies to intimidate them and provide insight into the carnage that followed.

6. Samurai

These Japanese swordsmen lived their lives according to the code of Bushido, which means "the way of the warrior." Although their image has been romanticized in recent years, they were strongly bound by honor.

One notable result of this was seppuku (better known as harakiki), a form of ritual murder in which a warrior rips open his own abdomen to restore his honor.

5. "Green Berets"

Members of the U.S. Army Special Forces, Green Berets are experts in unconventional warfare. As dangerous as they are on the battlefield, they must also be very smart.

Depending on their assignment, they must be fluent in a specific foreign language, which they learn over several months while undergoing military training.

4. Ninja

These secret agents of feudal Japan specialized in the unorthodox art of war. Often their "anything goes" mentality was contrasted with the samurai, who followed a strict code of honor and combat. At their core, being spies,

- We kidnapped you to study you.
- You can not do it this way! People are smart, we are flying into space!
- How many wars have you had over the last 1000 years?
- …
- Prepare anal probe

According to historians, over the entire history of mankind there have been more than 15 thousand wars in which up to 3.5 billion people died. We can say that humanity has always fought throughout its history. Historians have calculated that over the past 5.5 thousand years, people have been able to live in peace for only an insignificant 300 years, that is, it turns out that in each century civilization lived in peace for only a week.

How many people died in the wars of the twentieth century?

It is not possible to accurately determine the number of deaths in wars; records were not kept in all cases, and estimates of the number of deaths are only approximate. It is also difficult to separate the direct victims of war from the indirect ones. One of the attempts to estimate this number was made by the Russian historian Vadim Erlikhman in his work “Population Losses in the 20th Century.” Having compiled a list of wars, he tried to find data on the number of victims for each. According to his calculations, human losses directly related to the wars of the 20th century amount to 126 million people worldwide (including deaths from disease, hunger and captivity). But this figure cannot be considered firmly established. Below are data from the same work.

Throughout his history, man has tried to destroy his own kind and came up with more and more sophisticated ways to do this. From a stone club, a spear and a bow to an atomic bomb, combat gases and bacteriological weapons. All this is aimed at only one thing - to destroy as many of their own kind as possible in the most rational way. We can say only one thing: in the entire history of human civilization, violence, and especially armed violence, has played an important role and even been a kind of engine of progress. Today, man continues the “glorious traditions”: weapons are used even before peaceful solutions have been exhausted.

There are several main stages in the development of wars and the art of war: five important stages of wars can be distinguished, although another classification can be applied: wars of the pre-nuclear and nuclear period. The main milestones in the change of generations of wars coincided with qualitative leaps in economic development, which led to the creation of new types of weapons and a change in forms and methods of armed struggle.

The stages of wars of the pre-nuclear period are associated with the development of human society, its technological development and correlates with leaps in the development of humanity itself. The first serious leap in the development of military conflicts was the use of new types of bladed weapons instead of the usual sticks and stones characteristic of Stone Age people. Bows, arrows, swords and spears enter the stage of history. With similar weapons, maybe only slightly modernized, people destroyed each other for several thousand years. Wars of the first generation in historical terms have already acted as a way to resolve contradictions, but they could also be of a pronounced political nature. Their origin should be attributed to the tribal, clan and family-patriarchal stages of human development with the inherent exchange of labor results within the tribe, clan and the development of commodity relations into commodity-money relations.

The wars of the first generation took place during the slaveholding and feudal period of the development of society, at a time when the development of production was very weak, but nevertheless, even then, wars were a means of implementing the policies of the ruling classes. Armed struggle in these wars was carried out at the tactical level of units exclusively of manpower - foot soldiers and cavalry, equipped with bladed weapons. The main goal of such military operations was the destruction of enemy troops. In such wars, the warrior, his physical fitness, endurance, courage and fighting spirit came to the fore. This era occupies an important place in human history, it is sung in songs and covered in legends. The time of heroes and myths. It was during this era that Leonidas and his three hundred Spartans fought, Alexander the Great and his Macedonians fought, and Hannibal and Spartacus led their troops into battle. All these events are certainly beautifully described in books and Hollywood films, but it hardly looked beautiful in reality. Especially for those people who were directly involved in them or civilians who became victims of these conflicts. The peasants, whose crops were trampled by the knight's cavalry and who were therefore doomed to starvation, were hardly in the mood for romance. This stage in the development of mankind lasted a very long time - this is probably the longest stage in the history of the development of wars and the art of war. From the very beginning of human history to the 12-13th century AD, it was completed by the new invention of the human mind - gunpowder. After this, it became possible to recruit larger armies with less trained fighters - to wield a musket or arquebus did not require many years of training, which went into training a master swordsman or archer.

The forms and methods of waging wars of the second generation were determined by the revolution in military affairs associated with the development of material production in feudal society. In the 12-13th century, firearms came to the forefront of history - various muskets, arquebuses, cannons and arquebuses. At first, this weapon was cumbersome and imperfect. But its appearance immediately led to a real revolution in military affairs - now the fortress walls of feudal castles could no longer be a reliable defense - siege weapons swept them away. For example, it was thanks to huge siege weapons that the Turks were able to take Constantinople in 1453, a city that had previously successfully repelled all attacks on its walls for almost a thousand years. Firearms of this era, especially its beginning, were very ineffective, they were smooth-bore, so there is simply no need to talk about shooting accuracy, they were very large and difficult to manufacture. In addition, it had a very low rate of fire. The bow shot much faster and more accurately. But it took years to train an archer, and a musket could be given into the hands of a former peasant and in the shortest possible time he could be trained as a musketeer. In addition, at this time the importance of heavy armor immediately dropped - firearms could easily penetrate any armor. We can say that the brilliant time of the knights has sunk into oblivion. Typical representatives of this era include D’Artagnan and his three comrades, as well as the Ukrainian Cossacks; their weapons and battle tactics are characteristic of that era and the second stage of armed conflicts.

The third stage in the development of military affairs is directly related to the capitalist, industrial system, which replaced the feudal one in the countries of the Old World. It was he who contributed to progress in technology, the emergence of new means of production and new scientific inventions, which restless humanity immediately put on a war footing. The next stage in armed conflicts is also associated with firearms, or rather with their further improvement and improvement. Rifling appears in the barrel, thereby significantly increasing the shooting accuracy, increasing the range of the guns and their rate of fire. Many landmark inventions were made that remain in demand today - a cartridge with a sleeve was invented, loading from the breech of a weapon, and others. The inventions of the machine gun, revolver and many other iconic weapons date back to this period. The weapon became multi-charged and one warrior could destroy a large number of enemies at once. Wars began to be fought from trenches and other shelters and required the creation of multimillion-dollar armies. The bloody apotheosis of this stage in the development of wars was the bloody madness of the First World War.

The further development of weapons and the emergence of new types of them - combat aircraft and tanks, as well as the improvement of communications, improved logistics and other innovations led to the transition of military operations to a new stage - this is how fourth-generation wars arose - a prominent example of which is the Second World War. In principle, many features of this war have retained their relevance for the actions of ground forces to this day. But in addition, the end of World War II was marked by the invention of nuclear weapons. Many experts consider a war involving such weapons to be completely outside the scope of classification, because in a nuclear war there will simply be no winners and losers. Although other military analysts classify nuclear weapons as fifth-generation wars. Their signs include the development of nuclear weapons and means of delivering them to the target.

Sixth generation wars are associated with the development of precision weapons and the ability to kill at a distance, the so-called non-contact war. In addition, in many cases it is not the enemy troops that are destroyed, but the entire infrastructure of the state. This is what we saw in Serbia and Iraq. With the help of aviation and cruise missiles, air defense systems are destroyed, and then life support facilities on the territory of the state are systematically destroyed. The concept of “rear” in this stage of wars and with such tactics is simply absent. Communications, bridges, and industrial facilities are being destroyed in the state. The economy is in decline. The strikes are accompanied by powerful information pressure and political provocations. The state with its institutions simply ceases to exist.

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Convulsed by war. But in ancient times they were not of such a large-scale nature as in the 20th century. How many world wars have there been on planet Earth? There were two such conflicts: the First World War and the Second World War. A huge amount of destruction, the death of millions of soldiers and civilians are the results of such military campaigns.

World War Concept

Modern people mainly know about military conflicts from history textbooks and feature films and documentaries. But not everyone understands the meaning of the term “world war.” What does this expression mean, and how many world wars have there been?

An armed conflict that involves several continents and involves at least twenty countries is called a world war. As a rule, these countries are united against one common enemy. In modern history, there have been two such conflicts: at the beginning of the 20th century, the First World War began, and at the end of the 30s of the same century, the Second World War. Many countries were drawn into both armed conflicts: Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, Russia, USA, Japan. All participating countries suffered huge losses, causing a lot of grief, death and destruction to the population. How many world wars there were, their duration and outcome concern everyone who is interested in history.

Premonition of conflict

European countries at the beginning of the new century were in a state of division into two opposing camps. The confrontation was between France and Germany. Each of these countries was looking for allies in a future war. After all, maintaining it requires enormous resources. In this confrontation, England supported France, and Austria-Hungary supported Germany. The unrest began in Europe long before that shot was fired in Sarajevo in 1914, which became the start of hostilities.

To overthrow the monarchy in countries such as Russia and Serbia, the Freemasons of France pursued inflammatory policies and pushed states towards war. How many world wars and non-world wars there have been, they all began with one event that became the starting point. So the assassination attempt on Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, committed in Sarajevo in June 1914, became the reason for the introduction of Austrian troops into Serbia. Austria-Hungary officially declared war on Serbia on July 15, 1914 and bombed Belgrade the next day.

First World War

Slavic Serbia is an Orthodox country. Russia has always been its patron. In this situation, Russian Tsar Nicholas II could not stand aside and asked the Kaiser of Germany not to support Austria-Hungary in this “ignoble” war. In response to this, the German ambassador, Count Pourtales, handed the Russian side a note declaring war.

In a short time, all the main states of Europe entered the war. Russia's allies were France and England. Germany and Austria-Hungary fought against them. Gradually, 38 states were drawn into the war, with a total population of almost a billion people. How long did the world war last? It lasted four years and ended in 1918.

World War II

It seemed that the experience of the First World War and the terrible loss of life should have become a lesson for the countries participating in the conflict. How many world wars there were is written in all school textbooks. But humanity is stepping on the same rake for the second time: the conclusion following the First World War did not satisfy countries such as Germany and Turkey. Territorial disputes followed, increasing tensions in Europe. The fascist movement has intensified in Germany, and the country is sharply beginning to increase its military potential.

Germany took military action and invaded Poland. This became In response to the actions of Germany, France and England declared war on the aggressor, but did not provide any support to Poland, and it was very quickly occupied - within 28 days. How many years did the world war last, which drew 61 states of the world into confrontation? It ended in 1945, in September. Thus, it lasted exactly 6 years.

Main stages

The Second World War was all over. It was in this war that nuclear weapons were used for the first time. Many states rallied against. It was an anti-Hitler bloc, whose members were: the USSR, France, Greece, England, the USA, China and a number of other countries. Many of them did not directly take part in hostilities, but provided all possible assistance by supplying medicines and food. There were also many countries on the side of Nazi Germany: Italy, Japan, Bulgaria, Hungary, Finland.

The main stages in this war are considered to be the following periods:

European Blitzkrieg of Germany - from September 1, 1939 to June 21, 1941.
Attack on the USSR - from June 22, 1941 to November 1942. Hitler's failure
From November 1942 to the end of 1943. At this time, a turning point in the war strategy occurs. Soviet troops went on the offensive. And at a conference in Tehran with the participation of Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt, a decision was made to open a second front.
From 1943 to May 1945 - a stage marked by the victory of the Red Army, the capture of Berlin and the surrender of Germany.
The last stage is from May to September 2, 1945. This is the period of fighting in the Far East. Here, American pilots used nuclear weapons and attacked Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Victory over fascism

So, in September 1945, World War II ended. How many soldiers and civilians died can only be said approximately. Until now, researchers are finding burial places that remain from the time of this brutal and destructive war for all humanity.

According to a rough estimate of experts, the losses of all parties to the conflict amounted to 65 million people. Of course, the Soviet Union lost the most of all the countries participating in the war. This is 27 million citizens. The entire blow fell on them, as the Red Army stubbornly resisted the fascist invaders. But according to the Russian estimate, the death toll is much higher, and the figure presented is too low. There have been many world wars on the planet, but history has never known such losses as in the Second. Foreign experts agreed that the Soviet Union's losses were the most enormous. The figure given is 42.7 million human lives.