# Do you know the deadliest war since the big one? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 9, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591 "2013-06-09T23:38:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591/1 "2013-06-09T23:38:59Z")
Off the top of your head, right now. Stay away from Google. I want your best guess. To clarify, the ‘big one’ being of course my favourite topic of discussion, World War 2, which claimed somewhere between 30 to 55 million lives, with most of butcher’s bill fronted by the Chinese and Russians. After 1945, do you know which war claimed the most lives? Relying on your honesty here. If you knew the answer off the top of your head without Googling, vote yes. If you were close but no cigar, vote no. The answer; Korean War? Nope. Vietnam? Miles away. Iraq? Not a chance. The actual answer is [the Second Congo War](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Congo_War), aka the Great War of Africa. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591/2 "2013-06-10T00:18:54Z")
No, I didn’t get the answer right – I thought it was the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s.. However, the Wiki article on [wars by death toll](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_by_death_toll) suggests to me that it might be the 1945-1949 part of the Chinese Civil War. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591/3 "2013-06-10T00:23:05Z")
Son of a gun, I got it right. I figured either that, or that whole post WW II China mess. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591/4 "2013-06-10T00:28:51Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > However, the Wiki article on [wars by death toll](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_by_death_toll) suggests to me that it might be the 1945-1949 part of the Chinese Civil War. Ah yes, the [Chinese Revolution](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Revolution_%281946%E2%88%9252%29) was a nasty business indeed, but as it was a continuation of a war that started in 1927 it doesn’t count - we’re rather thinking of wars that _started_ after 1945. Should have clarified that in the OP more, my bad. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591/5 "2013-06-10T03:18:50Z")
Got it right! Two years ago, I added this question to an exam I give my intro-to-human-geography students. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591/6 "2013-06-10T03:23:08Z")
I got it. But I have a particular interest in the area. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591/7 "2013-06-10T03:23:52Z")
Got it wrong. I was just thinking of US wars. But I still would have guessed Iran-Iraq if I’d thought about non US involvement. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591/8 "2013-06-10T04:09:28Z")
I got it right. But I’ve worked a lot in Africa, including the eastern Congo. ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine_and_Smiles)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591/9 "2013-06-10T04:26:24Z")
Got it wrong - couldn’t settle on an answer, so went with ‘something in the Sudan’. Close, but no cigar! ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591/10 "2013-06-10T04:27:52Z")
I dismissed some of the common guesses and thought perhaps it might be… The Cambodian Genocide. Googling it, I see the victims numbered about 2 million - well below the death toll of the correct answer. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591/11 "2013-06-10T04:28:15Z")
I was thinking the genocide in Rwanda. No cigar for me either. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591/12 "2013-06-10T10:20:22Z")
Got it, although I had no idea the casualty count was quite that high, I’d heard 3 million. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591/13 "2013-06-10T11:24:02Z")
I was thinking the War On Drugs, but previous replies tell me I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591/14 "2013-06-10T12:04:38Z")
Someone’s been watching Anthony Bourdain. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591/15 "2013-06-10T13:09:14Z")
Does it count as correct when my guess was: one of those Congolese civil wars? It was very much just a guess, though. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591/16 "2013-06-10T13:13:52Z")
I got it right, because not only did I come across this factoid recently, I used it in the ongoing Trivia thread not too long ago. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591/17 "2013-06-10T13:27:48Z")
I knew it. I really thought that everybody on the Dope should know it. Everytime I think about it, I get angry at Kofi Annan. He and his supporters loved to claim how he had despite his failures in the Mid East, had great success in Africa. yeah right. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591/18 "2013-06-10T13:40:04Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Does it count as correct when my guess was: > > one of those Congolese civil wars? > > It was very much just a guess, though. Yeah, I think you can count that. > [@panache45](#): > > Someone’s been watching Anthony Bourdain. I’ve no idea who that is. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591/19 "2013-06-10T13:50:40Z")
I knew it, but mostly because I recently read _The Great Big Book of Horrible Things_, by statistician and “atrocitologist” Matthew White. Incidentally, he pegs the death toll at 3.8 million, and suggests that the 5.4 million figure is based on faulty estimates. [cite: White’s fantastically-named Necrometrics site](http://necrometrics.com/20c1m.htm#Co98) Not that that makes it any less horrible, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591/20 "2013-06-10T14:30:14Z")
I thought it was the Chinese unpleasantness. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-deadliest-war-since-the-big-one/660591.md?page=2)