The longest wars in history. The longest war in human history: history, interesting facts

The Hundred Years' War is a long-running set of military conflicts between medieval England and France, the cause of which was England's desire to return a number of territories on the European continent that once belonged to English monarchs.

The English kings were also related to the French Capetian dynasty, which served to advance their claims to the French throne. Despite the successes in the initial stage of the war, England lost the war, capturing only one possession - the port of Calais, which the English crown was able to hold only until 1559.

How long did the Hundred Years' War last?

The Hundred Years' War lasted almost 116 years, from 1337. until 1453, and represented four large-scale conflicts.

• The Edwardian War, which lasted from 1337 to 1360,
• Carolingian War - 1369 - 1389,
• Lancastrian War - 1415-1429,
• The fourth final conflict - 1429-1453.

• Main battles

The first stage of the Hundred Years' War consisted of the struggle between the conflicting parties for the right to own Flanders. After the victorious Slay naval battle for the English troops in 1340, the port of Calais was captured, which led to complete English supremacy at sea. Since 1347 until 1355 Fighting ceased due to the bubonic plague pandemic, which killed millions of Europeans.

After the first wave of the plague, England, unlike France, was able to restore its economy in a fairly short time, which contributed to it launching a new attack on the western possessions of France, Guienne and Gascony. In 1356 At the Battle of Poitiers, the French military forces were again defeated. The devastation after the plague and hostilities, as well as excessive taxation by England, caused the French uprising, which went down in history as the Paris Uprising.

Charles's reorganization of the French army, England's war on the Iberian Peninsula, the death of King Edward III of England and his son, who led the English army, allowed France to take revenge in the subsequent stages of the war. In 1388, the heir of King Edward III, Richard II, was embroiled in a military conflict with Scotland, as a result of which the English troops were completely defeated at the Battle of Otternbourne. Due to the lack of resources to conduct further military operations, both sides again agreed on a truce in 1396.

England's defeat after conquering a third of France

During the reign of the French king Charles VI, the English side, taking advantage of the dementia of the French monarch, in the shortest possible time was able to capture virtually a third of the territory of France and was able to achieve the actual unification of France and England under the English crown.

The turning point in military operations came in 1420, after the French army was led by the legendary Joan of Arc.

Under her leadership, the French were able to recapture Orleans from the British. Even after her execution in 1431, the French army, inspired by the victory, was able to successfully complete military operations, regaining all of its historical territories. The surrender of English troops at the Battle of Bordeaux in 1453 marked the end of the Hundred Years' War.

The Hundred Years' War is considered the longest in human history. As a result, the treasuries of the two states were emptied, internal strife and conflicts began: this is how the confrontation between the two dynasties of Lancaster and York began in England, which would eventually be called the War of the Red and White Roses.

They say that the worst quarrels are quarrels between close people and relatives. Some of the most difficult and bloody wars are civil ones.

the site presents a selection of the most protracted conflicts between citizens of the same state.

The beginning of the Civil War is considered to be the resettlement of the first groups of opponents of the barely established Bolshevik power to the south of Russia, where “white” detachments began to form from former officer ranks and volunteers who did not recognize the results of the Bolshevik revolution (or Bolshevik coup). The anti-Bolshevik forces, of course, included a variety of people - from republicans to monarchists, from obsessive madmen to fighters for justice. They oppressed the Bolsheviks from all sides - from the south, and from the west, and from Arkhangelsk and, of course, from Siberia, where Admiral Kolchak settled, who became one of the brightest symbols of the white movement and white dictatorship. At the first stage, taking into account the support of foreign forces and even direct military intervention, the Whites achieved some success. The Bolshevik leaders even thought about evacuating to India, but were able to turn the tide of the struggle in their favor. The beginning of the 20s was already the retreat and final flight of the whites, the cruelest Bolshevik terror and the terrible crimes of anti-Bolshevik outcasts like von Ungern. The result of the Civil War was the flight from Russia of a significant part of the intellectual elite and capital. For many - with the hope of a quick return, which in fact never happened. Those who managed to settle in exile, with rare exceptions, remained abroad, giving their descendants a new homeland.

The result of the Civil War was the flight of the intellectual elite from Russia

A series of civil wars between Catholics and Protestants took place from 1562 to 1598. The Huguenots were supported by the Bourbons, the Catholics by Catherine de Medici and the Guise party. It began with an attack on the Huguenots in Champagne on March 1, 1562, organized by the Duke of Guise. In response, the Prince de Condé took the city of Orleans, which became a stronghold of the Huguenot movement. The Queen of Great Britain supported the Protestants; the King of Spain and the Pope supported the Catholic forces. The first peace agreement was concluded after the death of the leaders of both warring groups, the Peace of Amboise was signed, then reinforced by the Edict of Saint-Germain, which guaranteed freedom of religion in certain districts. This, however, did not resolve the conflict, but transferred it to the category of frozen ones. Subsequently, playing with the terms of this edict led to the resumption of active actions, and the poor state of the royal treasury led to their attenuation. The Peace of Saint-Germain, signed in favor of the Huguenots, gave way to the terrible massacre of Protestants in Paris and other French cities - St. Bartholomew's Night. The Huguenot leader Henry of Navarre suddenly became king of France by converting to Catholicism (he is credited with the famous phrase “Paris is worth a mass”). It was this king, with a very extravagant reputation, who managed to unite the state and end the era of terrible religious wars.

A series of civil wars between Catholics and Protestants lasted 36 years.

The confrontation between the Kuomintang troops and the communist forces continued stubbornly for almost 25 years - from 1927 to 1950. The beginning is the “Northern Expedition” of Chiang Kai-shek, a nationalist leader who was going to subjugate the northern territories controlled by the Beiyang militarists. This group was based on the combat-ready units of the army of the Qing Empire, but it was a rather scattered force that was quickly losing ground to the Kuomintang. A new round of civil confrontation arose due to the conflict between the Kuomintang and the Communists. This struggle intensified as a result of the struggle for power; in April 1927, the “Shanghai Massacre” occurred, the suppression of communist uprisings in Shanghai. During the even more brutal war with Japan, internal strife subsided, but neither Chiang Kai-shek nor Mao Zedong forgot about the struggle, and after the end of World War II, the Chinese Civil War resumed. The nationalists were supported by the Americans, and the communists, not surprisingly, by the USSR. By 1949, Chiang Kai-shek's front had virtually collapsed, and he himself made an official proposal for peace negotiations. The conditions put forward by the Communists did not find a response, the battles continued, and the Kuomintang army found itself divided. On October 1, 1949, the People's Republic of China was proclaimed, and communist troops gradually subjugated one region after another. One of the last to be annexed was Tibet, the question of whose independence is periodically raised today.

The confrontation between the Kuomintang troops and the Communists lasted for almost 25 years.

The first and second wars in Sudan happened 11 years apart. Both erupted due to conflict between the Christians of the south and the Muslims of the north. One part of the country was in the past controlled by Great Britain, the other by Egypt. In 1956, Sudan gained independence, government institutions were located in the northern part, which created a serious imbalance of influence within the new state. The promises of a federal structure made by the Arabs in the Khartoum government were not realized, Christians in the south rebelled against the Muslims, and brutal punitive actions only fueled the flames of the Civil War. An endless succession of new governments were unable to cope with ethnic tensions and economic problems, South Sudan's rebels captured villages, but did not have sufficient forces to properly control their territories. As a result of the Addis Ababa Agreement of 1972, the south was recognized as having autonomy and an army that included both Muslims and Christians in approximately equal proportions. The next round lasted from 1983 to 2005 and was much more brutal towards the civilian population. International organizations estimate that about 2 million people were killed. In 2002, the process of preparing a peace agreement began between representatives of the Sudan Liberation Army (South) and the Government of Sudan. He envisioned 6 years of autonomy and a subsequent referendum on the independence of South Sudan. On July 9, 2011, the sovereignty of South Sudan was declared

The first and second wars in Sudan happened 11 years apart

The beginning of the confrontation was a coup d'etat, during which the country's president, Jacobo Arbenz, was removed. The military action, however, was quite quickly suppressed, but a significant part of them left the country, starting preparations for the partisan movement. It was she who was to play the main role in this long war. Among those who joined the rebels were Mayan Indians, this led to a severe reaction against Indian villages in general, there is even talk of ethnic cleansing of the Mayans. In 1980, there were already four fronts in the civil war, their line ran through both the west and east of the country, and the north and south. The rebel groups soon formed the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity, their struggle was supported by the Cubans, and the Guatemalan army fought them mercilessly. In 1987, the presidents of other Central American states tried to take part in resolving the conflict, through them dialogue was carried out and the demands of the warring parties were presented. The Catholic Church also gained serious influence in the negotiations, contributing to the formation of the National Reconciliation Commission. In 1996, the “Treaty on Lasting and Lasting Peace” was concluded. According to some estimates, the war claimed the lives of 200 thousand people, most of whom were Mayan Indians. About 150 thousand are missing.

Among those who joined the rebels in Guatemala were Mayan Indians

The history of mankind is the history of wars. Endless conflicts constantly redrew the map, destroyed nations and gave birth to great empires. There were also wars that lasted more than a century, that is, there were generations of people who in their lifetime saw nothing but war.

1. War without shots (335 years)

This unusual war between the Scilly Archipelago and the Netherlands is not like any other war, and is generally a mere formality. For 335 years, the rivals have never fired at each other, but it didn’t all start out so rosy.
This was during the second English Civil War, when Oliver Cromwell was pushing back the supporters of the English king. The fleeing royalists boarded ships and headed to the Isles of Scilly, which were owned by one of the king’s followers. All this time, the Netherlands vigilantly monitored the development of the internal English conflict, and when Parliament began to win, they decided to support it, sending their ships against the weakened royalist fleet in the hope of an easy victory. But it was not for nothing that the British were considered the best naval commanders in the world; they were able to inflict a crushing defeat on the Dutch. A few days later, the main forces of the Dutch fleet arrived at the islands, demanding compensation from the British for the cost of sunken ships and property. They were refused, after which at the end of March 1651 the Dutch declared war on the Isles of Scilly, with which they sailed home. After 3 months, Cromwell persuaded the king’s supporters to surrender, but the Netherlands could not conclude a peace treaty, since it was unclear with whom it should have been concluded, since the Isles of Scilly had already also fallen under the control of the English parliament, with which Holland did not seem to be at war.
The end of the war was put in 1985 by the chairman of the council, Scilly R. Duncan, who discovered in the archives that the territory he controlled formally continued to be at war with the Netherlands. On April 17 of the following year, the Dutch ambassador was not too lazy to sail to the island, who signed the belated peace agreement.

2. Punic Wars (118 years)

At the beginning of the formation of the Roman Republic, the Romans were able to subjugate most of the Apennine Peninsula. But the rich island of Sicily still remained unconquered. Carthage, a powerful trading power in North Africa, also achieved the same goal. The Romans called the inhabitants of Carthage Punes. Having landed simultaneously in Sicily, the two armies inevitably began to fight. There were three Punic Wars, which intermittently lasted for 118 years with long periods of low-intensity conflict. At the end of the Punic Wars, Carthage was completely destroyed. It is believed that this conflict claimed up to a million lives, which was an incredibly high number at that time.

3. Hundred Years' War (116 years)

It was a war that broke out between medieval France and England and lasted for more than a century. Throughout the war, the parties involved had to take time out during the plague epidemic. This was a time when both countries were the strongest powers in Europe with powerful armies and allies. The war was started by England, whose king intended to return the ancestral lands in Normandy, Anjou and the Isle of Man. The French wanted to expel the British from Aquitaine and unite all the lands under the French crown. While the British used mercenary soldiers, the French used militia.
During the Hundred Years' War, the star of Joan of Arc shone, who brought many victories to France, but was treacherously executed. After the loss of their leader, the militia switched to guerrilla warfare methods. Eventually, England ran out of resources and admitted defeat, losing almost all of its possessions on the continent.

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4. Greco-Persian War (50 years)

The war between the Hellenes and the Iranians lasted from 499 to 449 BC. e. At the beginning of the conflict, Persia was a warlike and powerful power. And Hellas as a single state did not even exist yet; instead, there were disunited city-states (policies). It seemed that they had no chance to resist the mighty Persia. But this did not stop the Greeks from starting to destroy the Persian armies. In the process, the Hellenes were able to agree to act together. After the end of the conflict, Persia recognized the independence of the policies and abandoned previously seized lands. For Hellas, prosperity came. Since then, it has become the basis of the culture on the basis of which modern European civilization emerged.

5. Guatemalan War (36 years)

This war began in 1960 and ended in 1996. It was civil in nature. On the one hand, Indian tribes (especially the Mayans) participated in it, and on the other, the descendants of the Spaniards. In the 50s of the last century, a coup d'état took place in Guatemala with the complicity of the United States. The opposition began to gather a rebel army, which was constantly growing. Partisans often captured not only villages, but also large cities, creating their own governing bodies there. Neither side had enough strength to win, and the war dragged on. The authorities had to admit that military measures would not be able to resolve the conflict.
The war ended in peace, in which 23 different groups of indigenous people - Indians - were protected. During the conflict, about 200,000 people, mostly Mayans, died, and about 150,000 are still missing.

6. War of the Scarlet and White Roses (33 years)

In the second half of the 15th century, a war with a poetic name raged in England - the War of the Scarlet and White Roses. In fact, it was a string of civil conflicts that stretched over 33 years. The highest aristocrats, representing two branches - York and Lancaster, fought for power. After many bloody skirmishes, the Lancastrians eventually gained the upper hand. However, these seas of shed blood were in vain - after some time the Tudors ascended to the English throne, ruling the country for almost 120 years.

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7. Thirty Years' War (30 years)

This is a prototype of the World War (1618-1648), in which almost all European countries took part, and the cause was the Reformation that began in Europe - the division of Catholics and Protestants. The war began with a conflict between German Lutherans and Catholics, and then all powers gradually became involved in this local dispute.
Russia also took part in the Thirty Years' War, only the Swiss remained neutral. The war was unusually bloody; for example, it reduced the population of Germany several times. In the end, it ended with the conclusion of the Peace of Westphalia. In Europe, this war destroyed so much everything and everywhere that there was simply no winner.

8. Peloponnesian War (27 years)

The ancient city-states of Athens and Sparta took part in the Peloponnesian War. The start of the conflict was not accidental. If Athens was a democracy, then Sparta was an aristocracy. Between these policies there was not only cultural confrontation, but also other feuds. In the end, these two strongest cities of Hellas had to find out which of them was more important. If the Athenians raided the Peloponnese peninsula by sea, the Spartans terrorized the territory of Attica. After some time, peace was concluded between them, which was soon broken by the Athenians.
After this, the war between Sparta and Athens resumed. The Spartans had the advantage, and Athens suffered a painful defeat at Syracuse. Taking advantage of the assistance of Persia, the Spartans built their own navy, with the help of which they inflicted a final defeat on their rivals at Aegospotami. As a result of the war, Athens lost all its colonies, and the Athenian polis itself was forcibly included in the Spartan Union.

9. Northern War (21 years old)

The Northern War became the longest in Russian history. In 1700, young Peter's Russia clashed with Sweden, which was very powerful at that time. At first, Peter I received slaps in the face from the Swedish king, but they served as an incentive to begin significant reforms in the country. Therefore, by 1703, the Russian army managed to win several victories until it established control over the entire Neva. There, the first emperor of Russia decided to build a new capital of the empire, St. Petersburg, because he could not stand Moscow. A little later, the Russians captured Narva and Dorpat. The Swedish king was eager to take revenge, so his troops again attacked Russia in 1708. This was a fatal decision for Sweden, whose star then began to decline.
First, Peter defeated the Swedes near Forest, and then near Poltava, where the decisive battle took place. After the defeat at Poltava, Charles XII forgot not only about local revenge on the Russian Tsar, but also about plans to create a “great Sweden”. The new king of Sweden, Fredrick I, asked Russia for peace, which was concluded in 1721 and was disastrous for Sweden, which ceased to be a great European power and lost most of its conquered possessions.

10. Vietnam War (18 years old)

The United States fought tiny Vietnam from 1957 to 1975, but was never able to defeat it. If for America this war is the greatest shame, then for Vietnam it is a tragic, but also heroic time. The reason for the intervention was the rise of the communists to power in China and North Vietnam. The American authorities did not want to get a new communist country, so they decided to get involved in an open armed conflict on the side of the forces ruling in South Vietnam. The technical superiority of the American army was overwhelming, but it was offset by guerrilla warfare methods and the high morale of the Vietnamese soldiers. As a result, the Americans had to get out of Vietnam.

The longest war in history lasted from 1337 to 1453. During this period, fighting alternated with temporary truces. However, the parties to the conflict remained unchanged. They were the two royal dynasties of England and France, which for more than a hundred years could not determine their borders in the British Isles and in Europe.

The main reason for which the longest war was unleashed was that the hereditary relations of European dynasties were incredibly complicated. The Sallic law gave rise to the fact that after the death of King Charles IV of France in 1328, which cut off the branch of the Capetian dynasty, King Edward of England declared his rights to the French throne. In addition, some of the French regions were actually subordinate to the English crown. Undoubtedly, such a confusing situation led to an armed conflict.

The entire war period was divided by historians into 4 stages, between which there were short periods of truce.

The first stage of the conflict is the Edwardian War. Its duration is twenty-four years. This time is distinguished by large-scale French losses. Suffering defeat over and over again, they lost considerable territory. The war was aggravated by the plague, which at that time had captured all of Europe and destroyed half of the population. The British failed to conquer Paris, but in 1360 a peace treaty was concluded, and the French lost about 30% of their own territory.

The next stage, which lasted 20 years, is called the Carolingian War. At that time, England was tired of constant armed conflicts with Scotland. Meanwhile, the French were waiting for the right time to take revenge. The fighting took place at sea and on land, and Portugal and Castile were drawn into the conflict, which became allies of France and England, respectively. However, the French did not achieve a decent result in this war. As a result, the countries signed a truce again, being completely tired of the war.

The Lancastrian War is the third period of the longest war in history. This stage was the most difficult for France. About half of French territory was occupied by the British. The latter managed to cut off the south of the country and destroy the allied ties of the French. During this period, the King of England received the majestic title of King of France, which remained until the beginning of the 19th century. It was not until 1428 that the Lancastrian War ended with the siege of Orleans.

The longest period of the war lasted 25 years. It was partially glorified by the French heroine Joan of Arc, who managed to create a turning point during the war. England miserably lost the war in 1453 and managed to retain only the port of Calais on the mainland.

Unfortunately, there is no data on what losses each side suffered during this war. However, it is historically confirmed that it was then that firearms were first used during hostilities.

The longest war devastated both sides of the conflict. However, it led to the stabilization of the borders and spheres of influence of some of the largest countries in Europe.

In the history of mankind there have been wars that lasted more than a century. Maps were redrawn, political interests were defended, people died. We remember the most protracted military conflicts.

1. Punic War (118 years)

By the middle of the 3rd century BC. The Romans almost completely subjugated Italy, set their sights on the entire Mediterranean and wanted Sicily first. But the mighty Carthage also laid claim to this rich island. Their claims unleashed 3 wars that lasted (with interruptions) from 264 to 146. BC. and received their name from the Latin name of the Phoenicians-Carthaginians (Punians). The first (264-241) is 23 years old (it started because of Sicily). The second (218-201) - 17 years (after the capture of the Spanish city of Sagunta by Hannibal). The last one (149-146) – 3 years. It was then that the famous phrase “Carthage must be destroyed!” was born. Pure military action took 43 years. The conflict totals 118 years.

Results: Besieged Carthage fell. Rome won.

2. Hundred Years' War (116 years)

It went in 4 stages. With pauses for truces (the longest - 10 years) and the fight against plague (1348) from 1337 to 1453.

Opponents: England and France.

Causes: France wanted to oust England from the southwestern lands of Aquitaine and complete the unification of the country. England - to strengthen influence in the province of Guienne and regain those lost under John the Landless - Normandy, Maine, Anjou. Complication: Flanders - formally was under the auspices of the French crown, in fact it was free, but depended on English wool for cloth making.

Occasion: the claims of the English king Edward III of the Plantagenet-Angevin dynasty (maternal grandson of the French king Philip IV the Fair of the Capetian family) to the Gallic throne. Allies: England - German feudal lords and Flanders. France - Scotland and the Pope. Army: English - mercenary. Under the command of the king. The basis is infantry (archers) and knightly units. French - knightly militia, under the leadership of royal vassals.

Fracture: after the execution of Joan of Arc in 1431 and the Battle of Normandy, the national liberation war of the French people began with the tactics of guerrilla raids.

Results: On October 19, 1453, the English army capitulated in Bordeaux. Having lost everything on the continent except the port of Calais (remained English for another 100 years). France switched to a regular army, abandoned knightly cavalry, gave preference to infantry, and the first firearms appeared.

3. Greco-Persian War (50 years)

Collectively - wars. They dragged on with calm from 499 to 449. BC. They are divided into two (the first - 492-490, the second - 480-479) or three (the first - 492, the second - 490, the third - 480-479 (449). For the Greek city-states - battles for independence. For the Achaeminid Empire - aggressive.

Results: Persia lost the Aegean Sea, the coasts of the Hellespont and the Bosphorus. Recognized the freedoms of the cities of Asia Minor. The civilization of the ancient Greeks entered a time of greatest prosperity, establishing a culture that, thousands of years later, the world looked up to.

4. Guatemalan War (36 years)

Civil. It occurred in outbreaks from 1960 to 1996. A provocative decision made by American President Eisenhower in 1954 initiated a coup.

Cause: the fight against the “communist infection”.

Opponents: The Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity bloc and the military junta.

Victims: almost 6 thousand murders were committed annually, in the 80s alone - 669 massacres, more than 200 thousand dead (83% of them were Mayan Indians), over 150 thousand went missing. Results: the signing of the “Treaty of Lasting and Lasting Peace,” which protected the rights of 23 Native American groups.

Results: Signing of the “Treaty of Lasting and Lasting Peace,” which protected the rights of 23 Native American groups.

5. War of the Roses (33 years)

Confrontation between the English nobility - supporters of two family branches of the Plantagenet dynasty - Lancaster and York. Lasted from 1455 to 1485.
Prerequisites: “bastard feudalism” is the privilege of the English nobility to buy off military service from the lord, in whose hands large funds were concentrated, with which he paid for an army of mercenaries, which became more powerful than the royal one.

Cause: the defeat of England in the Hundred Years' War, the impoverishment of the feudal lords, their rejection of the political course of the wife of the feeble-minded King Henry IV, hatred of her favorites.

Opposition: Duke Richard of York - considered the Lancastrian right to rule illegitimate, became regent under an incompetent monarch, became king in 1483, was killed at the Battle of Bosworth.

Results: Disturbed the balance of political forces in Europe. Led to the collapse of the Plantagenets. She placed the Welsh Tudors on the throne, who ruled England for 117 years. Cost the lives of hundreds of English aristocrats.

6. Thirty Years' War (30 years)

The first military conflict on a pan-European scale. Lasted from 1618 to 1648. Opponents: two coalitions. The first is the union of the Holy Roman Empire (in fact, the Austrian Empire) with Spain and the Catholic principalities of Germany. The second is the German states, where power was in the hands of Protestant princes. They were supported by the armies of reformist Sweden and Denmark and Catholic France.

Cause: The Catholic League was afraid of the spread of the ideas of the Reformation in Europe, the Protestant Evangelical Union strived for this.

Trigger: uprising of Czech Protestants against Austrian rule.

Results: Germany's population has dropped by a third. The French army lost 80 thousand. Austria and Spain - more than 120. After the Peace Treaty of Munster in 1648, a new independent state - the Republic of the United Provinces of the Netherlands (Holland) - was finally established on the map of Europe.

7. Peloponnesian War (27 years)

There are two of them. The first is the Lesser Peloponnesian (460-445 BC). The second (431-404 BC) is the largest in the history of Ancient Hellas after the first Persian invasion of the territory of Balkan Greece. (492-490 BC).

Causes: The desire for hegemony in the Greek world of Athens and the rejection of their claims by Sparta and Corinthus.

Controversies: Athens was ruled by an oligarchy. Sparta is a military aristocracy. Ethnically, the Athenians were Ionians, the Spartans were Dorians. In the second, 2 periods are distinguished.

First- “Archidam’s War.” The Spartans made land invasions of Attica. Athenians - sea raids on the Peloponnesian coast. Ended in 421 with the signing of the Treaty of Nikiaev. 6 years later it was violated by the Athenian side, which was defeated in the Battle of Syracuse. The final phase went down in history under the name Dekelei or Ionian. With Persian support, Sparta built and destroyed Athenian at Aegospotami.

Results: After imprisonment in April 404 BC. Feramenov's world Athens lost its fleet, tore down the Long Walls, lost all its colonies and joined the Spartan Union.

8. Vietnam War (18 years old)

The Second Indochina War between Vietnam and the United States and one of the most destructive of the second half of the 20th century. Lasted from 1957 to 1975. 3 periods: South Vietnamese guerrilla (1957-1964), from 1965 to 1973 - full-scale US military operations, 1973-1975. - after the withdrawal of American troops from Viet Cong territories. Opponents: South and North Vietnam. On the side of the South are the United States and the military bloc SEATO (South-East Asia Treaty Organization). Northern - China and the USSR.

Cause: When the communists came to power in China and Ho Chi Minh became the leader of South Vietnam, the White House administration was afraid of the communist “domino effect.” After Kennedy's assassination, Congress gave President Lyndon Johnson carte blanche to use military force with the Tonkin Resolution. And already in March 1965, two battalions of US Navy SEALs left for Vietnam. So the United States became part of the Vietnamese Civil War. They used a “search and destroy” strategy, burned out the jungle with napalm - the Vietnamese went underground and responded with guerrilla warfare.

Who benefits? about: American arms corporations. US losses: 58 thousand in combat (64% under 21 years of age) and about 150 thousand suicides of American military veterans.

Vietnamese casualties: over 1 million combatants and more than 2 civilians, in South Vietnam alone - 83 thousand amputees, 30 thousand blind, 10 thousand deaf, after Operation Ranch Hand (chemical destruction of the jungle) - congenital genetic mutations.

Results: The Tribunal of May 10, 1967 qualified US actions in Vietnam as a crime against humanity (Article 6 of the Nuremberg Statute) and prohibited the use of CBU thermite bombs as weapons of mass destruction.