From time immemorial, humanity has been shaken by wars. But in antiquity they were not of such a large-scale nature as in the 20th century. How many world wars were there on planet earth? There were two such conflicts: the First World War and the Second World War. A huge amount of destruction, the deaths of millions of soldiers and civilians - these are the results of such military companies.
World War Concept
A modern person mostly knows about military conflicts from history books 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 in which several continents take part and at least twenty countries are drawn in is called World War II. As a rule, these countries are united against one common enemy. There were two such conflicts in the modern history: 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 the population a lot of grief, death and destruction. The number of world wars, their duration and outcome excite everyone who is interested in history.
Foreboding of conflict
European countries at the beginning of the new century were in a state of separation into two warring camps. The confrontation was between France and Germany. Each of these countries sought allies in a future war. Indeed, for its management requires enormous resources. In this confrontation, England supported France, and Austria-Hungary supported Germany. Fermentation began in Europe long before the shot 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 conducted an inflammatory policy, pushing the state to war. How many world wars and wars of non-global significance, all of them began with some one event, which became the starting point. So the attempt on the Archduke of Austria Franz Ferdinand, committed in Sarajevo in June 1914, was the reason for the introduction of Austrian troops in Serbia. Austria-Hungary officially declared war on Serbia on July 15, 1914, and the next day it bombed Belgrade.
World War I
Slavic Serbia is an Orthodox country. Russia has always acted as its patroness. In this situation, the Russian Tsar Nicholas II could not stay away and asked the German Kaiser not to support Austria-Hungary in this “ignoble” war. In response, the German ambassador, Count Purtales, handed the Russian side a note declaring war.
In a short time, all the major states of Europe entered the war. The allies of Russia 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 one billion people. How long did the world war last? It lasted four years and ended in 1918.
WWII
It seemed that the experience of the First World War, terrible human losses should have been a lesson for the countries participating in the conflict. About how many world wars were written in all school textbooks. But mankind is stepping on the same rake for the second time: the Treaty of Versailles concluded after the First World War did not satisfy countries such as Germany and Turkey. Territorial disputes followed that exacerbated tensions in Europe. In Germany, the Nazi movement intensified, the country abruptly begins to increase its military potential.
On September 1, 1939 , Germany took military action and invaded Poland. This was the beginning of World War II. In response to German actions, 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 dragged 61 states of the world into the confrontation? It ended in 1945, in September. Thus, it lasted exactly 6 years.
Main stages
The Second World War was the most bloody war in the history of mankind. It was in this war that nuclear weapons were first used. Many states rallied against fascist Germany . It was an anti-Hitler bloc, the members of which were: USSR, France, Greece, England, USA, China and a number of countries. Many of them did not directly participate in the hostilities, but rendered all possible assistance by supplying medicines and food. There were also many countries on the side of fascist Germany: Italy, Japan, Bulgaria, Hungary, Finland.
The main stages in this war are considered such periods:
- German European Blitzkrieg - from September 1, 1939 to June 21, 1941.
- Attack on the USSR - from June 22, 1941 to November 1942. The failure of the Nazi plan Barbarossa.
- From November 1942 until the end of 1943. At this time, a turning point in the strategy of war. Soviet troops went on the offensive. And at a conference in Tehran with the participation of Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt, it was decided 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 a period of fighting in the Far East. Here, American pilots used nuclear weapons and attacked Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The victory over fascism
So, in September 1945, the Second World War ended. How many soldiers and civilians died can be said only approximately. Until now, researchers have found burial sites that have remained since the days of this brutal and destructive war for all mankind.
According to a rough estimate of experts, the loss of all parties to the conflict amounted to 65 million people. Of course, the Soviet Union lost the most countries participating in the war. This is 27 million citizens. The whole blow fell on them, since the Red Army stubbornly resisted the fascist invaders. But according to Russian estimates, the death toll is much higher, and the figure presented is too underestimated. How many world wars were on the planet, but history did not know such losses as in the Second. Foreign experts agreed that the losses of the Soviet Union were the greatest. The figure of 42.7 million human lives is given.