10 wars costing billions of dollars in human history
(Baonghean.vn) - War always costs a lot of money, and its consequences are also very serious. Here are the 10 most expensive wars in human history.
1. Mexican-American War (1846-1849)
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| The Mexican-American War, fought between 1946 and 1948, claimed 40,000 lives and brought with it infectious diseases. The cost of the war was enormous, estimated to have cost $98 million at the time, which would be about $2.8 billion today. |
2. The American Revolution (1775-1783)
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| The war to regain independence from British colonialism with 1,547 battles, big and small, also known as the American Revolution. That war lasted more than 8 years, countless people fell. Some died by bayonets, spears, guns, and some died from infectious diseases that could not be prevented or treated. This was one of the most expensive wars in human history, 2.4 billion dollars is truly a terrible number. |
3. Spanish-American War (1898-1899)
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| The cause of this war was the sinking of the USS Maine aircraft carrier, on April 21, 1898, the US declared war on Spain. This war lasted until December 1898, Cuba became independent as well as Guam and Puerto Rico fell into the hands of the US. The US spent 20 million dollars to buy the Philippines. However, the consequences of yellow fever and malaria led to the death of many people. The price of that war must be around 7 billion US dollars in current prices. |
4. The American Civil War (1861-1865)
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| Between 1861 and 1865, the bloody American Civil War claimed the lives of approximately 620,000 Americans, until the Union Army captured Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy. America became a nation with the abolition of slavery thanks to the victory of the North. The American Civil War had consequences that affected the economy and forced the government to come up with plans to mobilize all resources. The cost of the war at that time was 4.2 billion US dollars, which is equivalent to 88 billion dollars in today's money. |
5. Gulf War (1990-1991)
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| The war began on August 2, 1990, in response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. With the participation of 670,000 soldiers from 28 countries, the war lasted until April 6, 1991. According to estimates, the number of casualties was not too large, but the amount of money that had to be paid for it was a huge number. The US State Department estimated the cost of this battle at about 61 billion dollars, but this number was much larger in reality. It is equivalent to 110 billion dollars in today’s prices. |
6. Korean War (1950-1953)
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| The Korean War lasted from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953. The war lasted only about 3 years, but the cost of the war was not small. According to estimates, up to 3 million people died, and the economic cost was nearly 67 billion dollars. Calculated at the present time, it must be up to 671 billion dollars. |
7. The War in Vietnam (1965-1975)
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| The US began its airstrikes in 1966, with 190,000 US troops in Vietnam. The number of US troops reached 500,000 by early 1968. By 1975, the US had withdrawn from Vietnam. It is estimated that the US spent $173 billion on the war, equivalent to $1.1 trillion in today's money. Not only the money but also the number of casualties was countless. |
8. World War I (1917-1921)
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| In World War I, the death toll was 9.4 million, 15 million women and men were wounded, and millions were displaced. The cost of the war was estimated at $208 billion, equivalent to $3.2 trillion in today's dollars. World War I had a strong impact on the global economy, causing a global recession many years later. |
9. World War II (1941-1945)
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| World War II not only left many casualties but also took away a lot of money of humanity. According to calculations, the US had to spend at least 341 billion USD for this war, equivalent to 4.5 trillion USD now. In addition, other countries also spent a large amount of money. The total war costs of all countries added up to 1 trillion USD, equivalent to 14 trillion USD now. |
10. War on Terror (2001-2010)
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| The war on terror in the Pentagon in 2011 cost about 1.1 trillion USD. The Council of Scientists in the US calculated it was 5 trillion USD. The Watson Institute for International Studies conducted a study, the cost of the wars in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan alone has reached 3.7 trillion USD and could rise to 4 trillion USD. |
Kim Ngoc
(Synthetic)
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