1. World War II
Source: list25.comConsidering the fact that much of Europe was completely decimated, it’s hard to estimate the total cost of the war. Without a doubt it was the most costly conflict in world history though. Once again, to give you some hard numbers, America spent the modern equivalent of $4.104 trillion during World War II. That’s over 12 times as much as during World War I.
2. World War I
Source: list25.comThere was only one war more costly than World War I and that was World War II. To give you some insight, America spent the modern equivalent of $334 billion during World War I.
3. Mongol Conquests
Source: list25.comAlthough the Mongol conquests are extremely hard to label with a price tag, two things are for sure, the death toll was very high and the damage to land and property was extensive.
4. Taiping Rebellion
Source: list25.comThis Chinese civil war was one of Asia’s most extensive conflicts and also one of the first instances of total war in modern times (every single man, woman, and child was conscripted to fight) which technically means there was no such things as “civilians”. Not surprisingly the level of destruction was horrifying.
5. Three Kingdoms
Source: list25.comIn pure terms of human life, the only conflict more costly than the Three Kingdom period of China was World War II.
6. Conquests of Tamerlane
Source: list25.comIt was not mere coincidence that Tamerlane, the Turko-Mongol conqueror, basically re-enacted what Genghis Khan did several centuries earlier. Genghis Khan was his hero and although its hard to say whether Tamerlane’s conquests were more or less destructive, it’s really just splitting hairs.
7. An Lushan Rebellion
Source: list25.comLasting for the course of nearly three generations in the 700s AD, this rebellion had far reaching consequences for the nation of China.
8. Ming–Qing transition
Source: list25.comWhen the Qing dynasty moved to overtake the Ming dynasty, the price was catastrophically high.
9. Russian Civil War
Source: list25.comWith a Red Army, White Army, Green Army, and about 8 foreign nations involved, this civil war rode in on the coattails of the Russian Revolution and led straight into several other wars of independence. It was basically a very bloody, very destructive period in Russia’s history.
10. Napoleonic Wars
Source: list25.comPitting France against the rest of Europe, these wars played out on an unprecedented scale and completely revolutionized modern warfare.
11. Chinese Civil War
Source: list25.comEnding in the creation of two Chinas (mainland China and Taiwan both claim to be the legitimate China), this civil war hasn’t technically ended yet as no peace treaty has been signed. In purely financial terms the war cost over $600 billion (in 2014 dollars).
12. Second Congo War
Source: list25.comKnown as the African World War, this was the largest, deadliest, and most destructive conflict ever fought on African soil.
13. Yellow Turban Rebellion
Source: list25.comThis Chinese peasant revolt against the Han Dynasty took over two decades to suppress and got its name from the color of the cloths that rebels wore on their heads.
14. Thirty Years War
Source: list25.comActually a series of wars during the 1600s, this was one of the most destructive periods in the history of Europe prior to the 19th century. In fact, the war bankrupted almost all the belligerents and soldiers were eventually expected to fund themselves by looting.
15. War in Afghanistan
Source: list25.comThis doesn’t only include the war on terror, this goes all the way back to 1978 when the fighting in Afghanistan started during the Saur Revolution. Since then the parties involved have changed but there has been no peace and the level of destruction has been quite extensive for everyone involved.
16. The Hundred Years War
Source: list25.comThe most notable conflict of the Middle Ages saw five generations vie for rule in Europe.
17. Shaka's Conquests
Source: list25.comShaka has been largely credited as a military genius for revolutionizing the way the Zulu kingdom fought their battles. Although he managed to make the Zulus the most powerful tribe in southern Africa, he did so with an iron fist and brutal warfare was one of his trademarks. The effect of his military campaigns on the political and social structure is still seen today.
18. Nigerian Civil War
Source: list25.comLeading to massive famines and destruction of infrastructure, the Nigerian Civil War drew in numerous international players including the United States and the Soviet Union. The pure financial cost has been estimated to be somewhere in the billions of dollars.
19. Sudanese Civil War
Source: list25.com
Disease, famine, and displacement are still felt today from this civil war that lasted for nearly half of the 20th century. In terms of 2014 dollars, the last 10 years of war has been estimated to cost the country of Sudan over $100 billion.
20. Cold War
Source: list25.com
Including the Vietnam War, the Korean War and even the Space Race, the Cold War was a vast and extremely costly period of armament and conflict that cost numerous nations quite a lot in the areas of defense and espionage. To give some hard numbers, the US spent $738 billion (in 2014 dollars) on the Vietnam War and $341 billion (in 2014 dollars) on the Korean War.
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