In the history of civilization, military clashes have always occurred. And each protracted conflict was distinguished by its duration. We bring to your attention the top 10 longest wars in the history of mankind.
War in vietnam
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 Communists coming to power in the Middle Kingdom and in 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 were superior to the Vietnamese in armament. But then the national army brilliantly used partisan methods in the fight against the enemy.
As a result, the war ended in a mutually beneficial agreement between states.
North War
Perhaps the longest war in Russian history is the North. In 1700, Russia faced one of the most powerful powers of that era - Sweden. The first military setbacks of Peter I became an incentive for the start of serious transformations. As a result, by 1703, the Russian autocrat had already won a number of victories, after which the whole Neva was in his hands. That is why the tsar decided to establish a new capital there - St. Petersburg.
A little later, the Russian army conquered Derpt and Narva.
Meanwhile, the Swedish emperor demanded revenge, and in 1708 parts of him again invaded Russia. This was the beginning of the sunset of this northern power.
At first, Russian soldiers defeated the Swedes near Lesnaya. And then - and near Poltava, in a decisive battle.
The 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 king of Sweden requested peace. The corresponding agreement was concluded in 1721, and for the state it became deplorable. 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 it involved such ancient policy states as Sparta and Athens. The conflict itself did not begin spontaneously. In Sparta, there was an oligarchic form of government, in Athens - democracy. There was also a kind of cultural confrontation. In general, these two strong leaders could no longer meet on the battlefield.
The Athenians raided the shores of the Peloponesse. The Spartans invaded the territory of Attica.
After some time, the two warring parties entered into a peace treaty, but after a few years Athens violated the terms. And hostilities began again.
In general, the Athenians lost. So, they were defeated at Syracuse. Then, with the support of Persia, Sparta managed to build his own fleet. This flotilla finally defeated the enemy at the Egospotam.
The main outcome of the war was the loss of all Athenian colonies. In addition, the policy itself was forced to join the Spartan Union.
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!
Towards the end of the clashes, the warring parties entered into a peace treaty. The consequence of this document was the formation of an independent state - the Netherlands.
Clash of British Aristocracy Factions
In medieval England in the second half of the 15th century, active military operations took place. Contemporaries called them the Scarlet and White Rose War. In fact, it was a series of civil wars, which, in general, lasted 33 years. It was a confrontation between the groups of the aristocracy for power. The main participants in the conflict were representatives of the branches of Lancaster and York.
Years after numerous battles in the war, Lancaster won. But after a while, the representative of the Tudor dynasty came to the throne. This regal surname ruled for nearly 120 years.
Guatemala Indigenous Liberation War
The Guatemalan conflict lasted thirty-six years (1960-1996). It was a civil war. The warring parties are representatives of the Indian tribes, primarily Mayans, and the Spaniards.
The fact is that in Guatemala in the 1950s, a coup d'etat was carried out with the support of the United States. Opposition members began to form a rebel army. The liberation movement was widening. Partisans repeatedly managed to occupy cities and villages. As a rule, controls were created immediately.
Meanwhile, the war dragged on. Guatemalan authorities have recognized that a military solution to this conflict is impossible. As a result, peace was concluded, which was the official defense of 23 groups of Indians in the country.
In general, about 200 thousand people died during the war, most of which are Mayans. Approximately another 150 thousand are considered missing.
Half a century of conflict
The war between the Persians and Greeks lasted half a century (499-449 years. BC. E.). By the start of the conflict, Persia was considered a powerful and militant power. Greece or Hellas as such on the map of the Ancient World did not exist at all. There were only fragmented 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 operations.
At the end of the war, Persia was forced to recognize the independence of Greek policies. In addition, she had to abandon the occupied territories.
And Hellas was waiting for an unprecedented rise. The country then began to enter a period of highest prosperity. She already laid the foundations of culture, which the whole world subsequently began to equal.
War that lasted one century
What is the longest war in history? You will learn more about this later. But the century-long conflict between England and France was among the record holders. In fact, it lasted more than one century - 116 years. The fact is that both sides were forced to make a ceasefire in this long battle. The cause was the plague.
In those days, both states were regional leaders. They had powerful armies and serious allies.
Initially, hostilities began to lead England. The island kingdom sought to regain, first of all, Anjou, Maine and Normandy. The French side longed to expel the British from Aquitaine. Thus, she tried to unite all her territories.
The French formed their militia. The British used hired soldiers for military operations.
In 1431, the legendary Joan of Arc was executed, which was a symbol of French freedom. After this, the militias began, first of all, to use partisan methods in the struggle. As a result, years later, war-worn England admitted defeat, having lost almost all possessions in French territory.
Punic war
At the very beginning of the history of Roman civilization, Rome was able 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. These interests were pursued by the powerful trading power of Carthage. The inhabitants of ancient Rome called the Carthaginians punans. 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 was in a kind of sluggish phase.
Ultimately, Carthage was defeated and destroyed. Note, for all the years of the war, about a million people died, which for those times was a lot ...
335 year old weird war
The obvious record holder for the duration was the war between the Scilly archipelago and the Netherlands. How long was the longest war in history? It lasted more than three centuries and was very different from other military conflicts. At least by the fact that for all 335 years, the opponents could not shoot at each other.
In the first half of the 17th century, the Second Civil War was fought in England. The famous Oliver Cromwell defeated the royalists. Fleeing the chase, 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 refused categorically. 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 is still in a war with Holland. The following year, this misunderstanding was settled, and the two countries were able to sign a peace treaty ...