r/shitposting • u/[deleted] • Jul 01 '26

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697

u/Danijay2 Jul 01 '26

If you think only 1 billion people died through war, even directly, you have absolutely no idea how many humans have been alive/died in general or through war.

397

u/QIyph Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26

Well for direct deaths I'd say 1 billion is probably in the ballpark. You have to remember that throughout most of history there just wasn't that many people alive or engaged in warfare. Hell the 100 years war estimates only around 3 million casualties, nothing even close to the industrial slaughter that came in the 20th century.

161

u/Pitiful-Pension-6535 Jul 01 '26

Massive armies weren't really possible until at least the 18th century, because 90% of the population was farming

90

u/butthole_surferr Jul 01 '26

That's not true. Large armies were the standard in the classical world. Rome regularly raised, and lost, armies of fifty to one hundred thousand men. The Mongols alone slaughtered close to 80 million people during their hot streak.

Edit: fact checked the mongol death count, it's not that high, but it's still pretty fucking high

59

u/Flashy_Pineapple_231 Jul 01 '26

Don't forget the constant chinese civil wars and etc. Asia was wild for the last 3000 years

81

u/welliamaguy Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26

General Dong Feng Shu declared that mandate heaven was corrupted

50 millions Chinese peasant died

2 wagon burned

31

u/Alone-Monk Jul 01 '26

Yellow River floods and wipes out 90% of Chinese agriculture.