Most Expensive Wars In History of Mankind
War on Terror Including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, this fight has cost the nations involved a significant amount. In fact, in pure dollar terms some economists have argued that it is one of the most expensive wars to date. It cost the U.S. alone more than $1.6 trillion through 2010.
Mexican Revolution Involving several sides, this armed conflict has been characterized as one of the greatest upheavals of the 20th century.
Panthay Rebellion The rebellion of Hui people in China had far reaching effects that rippled throughout the entire region and crippled economies not just locally but also in neighboring nations.
Gallic Wars Fought by Julius Caesar, these wars included several costly military campaigns that led to Caesar becoming the sole ruler of the Roman Republic.
American Civil War This was hands down the costliest war ever fought on the continent of North America. In pure monetary terms it cost the modern equivalent of $80 billion.
Cold War Including the Vietnam War, the Korean War and even the Space Race, the Cold War was a vast and extremely costly period of armament and conflict that cost numerous nations quite a lot in the areas of defense and espionage. To give some hard numbers, the US spent $738 billion (in 2014 dollars) on the Vietnam War and $341 billion (in 2014 dollars) on the Korean War.
Sudanese Civil War Disease, famine, and displacement are still felt today from this civil war that lasted for nearly half of the 20th century. In terms of 2014 dollars, the last 10 years of war has been estimated to cost the country of Sudan over $100 billion.
Nigerian Civil War Leading to massive famines and destruction of infrastructure, the Nigerian Civil War drew in numerous international players including the United States and the Soviet Union. The pure financial cost has been estimated to be somewhere in the billions of dollars.
Shaka's Conquests Shaka has been largely credited as a military genius for revolutionizing the way the Zulu kingdom fought their battles. Although he managed to make the Zulus the most powerful tribe in southern Africa, he did so with an iron fist and brutal warfare was one of his trademarks. The effect of his military campaigns on the political and social structure is still seen today.
War in Afghanistan This doesn’t only include the war on terror, this goes all the way back to 1978 when the fighting in Afghanistan started during the Saur Revolution. Since then the parties involved have changed but there has been no peace and the level of destruction has been quite extensive for everyone involved.