Major Wars in World History
Since history was first recorded, war has been a central feature of the human experience. Caused by a variety of factors, from religion to politics, there is no single country or culture unaffected by war. To understand the major wars in world history, such as the Punic Wars or the American Civil War, each conflict was brought about by a unique set of circumstances and is often characterized by a series of battles, rather than one single conflict. What sets these wars apart from others in history is their hefty casualty counts and their far-reaching social and political consequences.
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Punic Wars
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The Punic Wars were caused by the collision of the two great powers of the ancient world: Rome and Carthage. War broke out in 264 B.C., 218 B.C. and again in 149 B.C. Expansion and control were the key themes of the Punic Wars as Carthage and Rome battled for dominance across Europe, Africa and the East. The Punic Wars were finally ended with the systematic destruction of the city of Carthage and its surrounding countryside. The Carthaginians who were not slaughtered were sold into slavery. The Roman Empire then reigned supreme.
Thirty Years' War
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Fought between 1618 and 1648, the Thirty Years' War is considered one of the bloodiest conflicts in European history. Estimates have placed the final death toll at around one-third of the European population. Traditionally viewed as a religious war, the Thirty Years' War was also geopolitical and dynastic in its origins. The Thirty Years' War was not one single specific conflict but rather made up of numerous battles and struggles comprising much of modern Europe, including the Bohemian and Palatine War, the Swedish-Polish War, the Danish War and the War of Smolensk. The conflict finally ended in 1648 with the Peace of Westphalia, a series of treaties that granted settlements to the major European powers and granted religious freedom and tolerance to all.
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American Civil War
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The American Civil War was a conflict between the Confederacy and the Union, fought between 1861 and 1865. The defining event in American history, the Civil War is remembered for its bloody and fierce battles, such as the 51,112 casualties at Gettysburg (1863) and the 34,624 causalities at Chickamauga (1863). With the Unionist victory, the Confederacy was destroyed, slaves were freed with the Emancipation Proclamation and the country was finally united. The end of the Civil War brought about a new beginning of the country: the era of reconstruction.
World War II
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When Adolf Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, Britain and France declared war on Nazi Germany. This defining conflict of the 20th century brought about the deaths of more than 55 million people and featured some of the bloodiest attacks in human history, including the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and the systematic extermination of the Jews and other ethnic minorities, known as the Holocaust. As the Red Army savaged Berlin, Hitler committed suicide and Nazi Germany finally surrendered on May 7, 1945.
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