The most fragile civil war in history: it has taken the lives of 20 million people
Although the estimates of the dead differ, most agree that up to 80 million lives was lost as a result of armed clashes, bombardment, siege, hunger, disease and genocide, IFLSCIENCE writes. In focus, technology appeared its Telegram channel. Subscribe to not miss the latest and most intrusive news from the world of science! China lost up to 20 million people during the war, much of which was civilians.
However, the destruction suffered by this country during the Second World War was not unprecedented: less than a century earlier, the country was involved in the Taipine uprising (1850-1864), which is often considered the most bloodiest civil war in history. According to historians, more than 20 million people were killed during the uprising, which was about 5 percent of China's population at that time and almost 2 percent of the world's population.
The Taipine uprising was, in fact, an uprising against the dominant pricing dynasty, headed by Hun Suuna, who argued that he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ. Hun founded the Heavenly Kingdom of Taipin in southern China, where he sought to replace Confucianism, Buddhism and Chinese people's religions with a unique mixture of Protestant Christianity. Political studies Elizabeth J.
Perry, specializing in China's history, described Taipin as a mass uprising motivated by religious visions and the disappointment of Hung in the socio-political system. This conflict also influenced the long -standing tension between the Manchurian Price Dynasty and different ethnic groups, including Khakka to which HUN belonged. In the nineteenth century, the price dynasty declined, fighting internal problems such as famine, unemployment and corruption.
At the same time, foreign intervention, especially from the European states, further weakened the empire. The participation of the British Empire in the Opium wars, which threw china drugs, only intensified social and economic troubles in the country. As the government of prices increased as the government increased, the HUN movement was gaining momentum.
His followers, initially a small militia, known as the "worship society", increased in quantity, receiving support from disappointed peasants and workers. By 1850, the group was entrenched in southern China. Tensions in relations with local authorities soon grew into violence, and in 1851, Hun declared himself a heavenly king, formally starting an uprising in order to overthrow the price dynasty. The scale of the conflict made it one of the most fragile in history.
The Taipine uprising swept 17 provinces and lasted for 14 years, which collectively led to a stunning number of casualties. In addition to deaths in battles, millions of people have died from the indirect consequences of war, such as famine, forced labor and illness. The historian Meer-Fing has said in 2015 that the uprising was marked with "messianic visions" and wide social riots, which fueled his destructiveness.
The lack of accurate demographic data complicates the definition of accurate numbers, but it is obvious that it has led to enormous human losses on many fronts. The importance of the uprising lies not only in a stunning number of dead, but also that it became a catalyst for changes in China, creating a basis for further upheaval and determining the trajectory of development of the country for the following decades.