10 reasons think the massive 20th‑century wars may have been meticulously plotted, and here’s why.

10 Reasons think: The Grand Conspiracy Overview

It’s one of the most popular conspiracy theories, largely because a lot of the claims have at least partial facts to them. Some believe that events of the 20th century, in particular the two global conflicts that left millions upon millions slaughtered and changed the face and direction of the entire planet, were not only orchestrated, with the same people controlling both sides, but were decades in the planning.

10 The ‘Hidden Predictions’ Of Disreali

Benjamin Disraeli is widely seen by most in the political world as one of the most influential Britons of all time, and certainly of the 19th century. He served as British prime minister twice and was usually at the heart of the political change and events of the era, not just in Westminster but in Europe, amid an ever‑changing world in light of the increasingly strong United States.

In 1844, Disraeli released a work of fiction entitled Coningsby, or The New Generation, which was a political, current events, thriller type of work. To some, however, the writings contained hidden truths and even predictions of a world to come. The novel spoke of “unseen forces” who control the everyday goings‑on from the shadows, unknown to anyone, even most politicians. These forces would also look to “shape Europe’s affairs and secret revolutionary movements.”

While it is a safe bet, given his intelligence and experience in the political world of the mid‑ to late 1800s, that Disraeli would have had a fair idea of how certain events were likely to progress, some believed his notions were a little too accurate to be dismissed. In light of his statements about “revolutions,” we look at perhaps the biggest revolution of the 20th century in our next entry.

9 The Seeds Of The Russian Revolution

Although the Russian Revolution, in basic Reader’s Digest terms, took place in 1917 following the horrendous conditions on the Russian front lines during World War I, anti‑establishment sentiment had been building for decades. And what’s more, it would appear that outside involvement was indirectly responsible for at least part of it.

As we will look at a little in our next entry, Russia was encouraged to sign what were presented to them as “mutually beneficial” pacts with countries such as France and Britain. In reality, these agreements would isolate them and put them at odds with long‑term allies such as Germany. They were also “encouraged” into a war with the Japanese from 1904 to 1905, a war that deeply demoralized the nation and led to an unsuccessful uprising.

What’s interesting about this conflict, in what is an apparent recurring theme throughout the 1900s, is which parties were responsible for financing the Russo‑Japanese War. The Russians (officially the Romanov royal family of Russia) received funding from the European banks of the Rothschild family. The Japanese were funded by an American bank called Kuhn, Loeb & Co.—which was controlled by the Rothschilds, the very same family who controlled the European banks. Officially, Jacob Schiff represented Kuhn, Loeb, & Co., and it is well‑established that the Schiff and Rothschild families share ties going back hundreds of years.

8 Pacts And Treaties Of The Early 1900s

As we mentioned above, the early 1900s saw a series of international pacts signed between various European countries, including Russia. The idea of these pacts, at least officially, was to maintain peace in the region.

However, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Austria‑Hungary would declare war on Serbia due to their guilt in the killing. Bound by their pact, Russia came to the aid of Serbia. And so it went on, with each country “bound” to come to the aid of another. In short, the French and British had to aid Russia, and in turn Serbia, while the Central Powers—Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire, Germany, and Austria‑Hungary—would side with each other against them.

Incidentally, once the Russians were officially at war on the side of the Allies, they were armed by a company called Vickers & Maxim, which was controlled by a gentleman named Ernest Cassel. Cassel, in turn, was a longtime business associate of the Rothschilds and had a history of dealings with Kuhn, Loeb & Co. There were considerable delays in supplying these weapons to the Russians, which accelerated the complete breakdown of morale (some soldiers were sent to the front unarmed) and, in turn, sparked the eventual revolution. Many researchers, albeit retrospectively, suggested this “delay” was intentional.

7 The Rothschilds And Funding Of Both Sides

As we mentioned with the Russo‑Japanese War, the Rothschild family appeared to have funded both sides, albeit indirectly. This trend would continue with World War I and specifically World War II.

While Standard Oil provided the funding, hardware, supplies, and weapons for the Allied forces, IG Farben would do the same for the Nazis. (As we will look at a little later, much of the Nazi funding also came from the Soviet Union, adding a third dimension to the already muddled affair.) IG Farben and Standard Oil were both companies that were owned or controlled through majority ownership by the Rothschild family.

In fact, it wasn’t just the global conflicts that had funding from surprising sources. The Russian Revolution, a rebellion driven by communist ideology, received the bulk of its funding from the capitalist banks of the West, as we will look at next.

6 The Capitalist‑Funded Russian Revolution

Perhaps the first two people who come to mind when talking of the Russian Revolution are Leon Trotsky and Vladimir Lenin. Both were staunch communists who were, it would appear, the driving forces behind the establishment of the Soviet Union and the questionable deaths of the Romanov royal family. However, while 1917’s revolutions were taking place on the streets of Russia, both Trotsky and Lenin were safe in their respective beds in the “evil” capitalist West.

Furthermore, each received substantial financial backing from their capitalist “adversaries” upon their return to Russia. For example, Lenin would arrive from the “sanctuary of the financial elite,” Switzerland, with the funding from both the Federal Reserve and the City of London. A US Congress report from 1919 shows deposits of substantial amounts of money (millions of dollars) in a secret bank account to be used by Lenin or Trotsky.

Trotsky, incidentally, would even arrive in Russia off the back of a US passport—one personally issued for him by President Woodrow Wilson. He also had $10,000 in cash, another gift from the US government.

5 World War I Set The Stage For World War II (Purposely?)

By the end of World War I, not only were millions of people dead, their lives needlessly ended, but Europe would never be the same again. Just to appreciate how drastically the Treaty of Versailles changed Europe, nine new countries emerged from the ruins. Many of them were restored nations that once existed before being absorbed into the Central Powers of Europe. The balance of power had drastically changed.

Furthermore, this change was not yet complete, as further upheaval and the even worse horrors of World War II were a mere two decades away. It is reasonable to suggest that the destruction and then the reparations that followed intentionally lit the fuse for further conflict, particularly in Germany, where Adolf Hitler would use the crippled German economy to his advantage in his sweep to power. Once there, he would begin his rampage over Europe, claiming past “empires” as part of the new Germany. However, the initial assault on Europe, specifically Eastern Europe, was not just a German offensive.

4 Soviet‑Nazi Pacts

In a similar way to how many pacts were signed in the run‑up to the World War I, in the decade before World War II, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union would sign various pacts and treaties of their own.

These treaties, such as the Molotov‑Ribbentrop Pact or the German‑Soviet Credit Agreement, would guarantee that neither country would go to the aid of an enemy of the other. They also looked out for each other’s interests, while “turning a blind eye” to any indiscretions of the other. In addition, the agreements allowed for the transferring of materials such as rubber and steel, as well as money, from one country to the other with no disruption.

The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany had quietly created a “sphere of influence” throughout Eastern Europe, one that would be detrimental to the power and influence of Britain and France. With this in mind, it is also worth remembering that the invasion of Poland was not just by Germany. Soviet forces invaded from the other side. They would also take control of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, while the Germans pummeled the French.

3 Soviets ‘Armed’ The Nazis

Even after the Nazis’ intentions were clear, and after Britain had declared war on them in response, the Soviet Union would still make deals with them. And these deals, whether intentional or not, would greatly assist in helping Nazi Germany to build up their arms as quickly and as powerfully as they did. In fact, some historians will tell you bluntly that without these pacts and Soviet assistance, the rise of Nazi Germany, at least in the form the world saw it, wouldn’t have been possible.

The 1940 German‑Soviet Commercial Agreement made the movement of oil, raw materials for weapons production, and even grain to feed Nazi soldiers far easier. And the materials, food, and funding moved regularly and as required. In return, Nazi Germany allowed the Russians access to their scientists’ leading research.

While the ideologies of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union appeared to be worlds apart, they weren’t—at least not according to Stalin’s vision of the world, which we will look at in our next entry.

2 Nazi Germany‑Soviet Communist Ideology

As we mentioned, the Soviet Union did all but actively support the Nazi invasions, instead launching their own separate offensives, laying claim to territories they had long coveted. However, according to some, Stalin and other high‑ranking Soviet officials were greatly impressed with Nazi Germany. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Soviet premier Vyacheslav Molotov gave several deeply passionate and supportive speeches on the subject of Nazism and Nazi Germany. He would at one stage suggest that to “fight [Nazism] was a crime.”

It is also worth noting how similar the methods used by the Soviet Union were to those of the Nazis, such as their propaganda. Many Jewish people would flee Stalin’s Russia and into the arms of the Nazis. Others were turned over to the Nazis by Soviet troops.

Some researchers also claim that Stalin was so enamored with Nazi Germany that when intelligence reached him telling of a surprise invasion by the Nazis, he delayed a response, believing there had been a mistake. Ultimately, the Nazis would make considerable advances into Russia, but by December 1941, the Soviet troops were actively pushing them back. It is an interesting notion to think what might have happened if Hitler had not invaded the Soviet Union when he did. However, if you subscribe to the conspiracy theory of “unseen forces” directing events, the choice may not have been his to make.

1 IG Farben And Standard Oil

Okay, so we have mentioned that the above companies, which were essentially owned by the Rothschilds, were responsible for the funding of both sides of World War II. It is from this financial arrangement that much of the steam for the conspiracy theories involving certain major 20th‑century conflicts stem from, and it is easy to see why. Incidentally, not only were IG Farben responsible for the funding of the Nazi war machine, but they were also responsible for the death camps set up by the Nazis throughout Europe. Many conspiracy theorists suggest that these death camps were a way for otherwise “Western” corporate families to experiment with eugenics, something they purportedly continued under the CIA and such projects as Operation Paperclip.

Many US soldiers in Germany, for example, reported how IG Farben buildings were uncannily untouched and unscathed in surroundings that were otherwise devastated. Both IG Farben and Standard Oil also made millions of dollars in the rebuilding projects that followed the war, not to mention the arms race that the Cold War would bring on the world for most of the latter half of the 20th century.

The United States is celebrated for its iconic wars, but there’s a trove of 10 lesser known conflicts that have quietly helped shape the nation. From distant Pacific islands to the dusty border towns of the Southwest, these engagements often escape the textbooks yet left lasting marks on American history.

10 Fiji Expeditions

Two separate Fiji expeditions unfolded in the mid‑nineteenth century—first in 1855, then again in 1859. The inaugural mission was launched after a local civil war in Fiji caused damage to American property. A U.S. warship, carrying a detachment of Marines, sailed to demand reparations from Seru Cakobau, the self‑styled king of Fiji. When Cakobau could not provide payment, the Marines engaged the island’s warriors and forced a decisive retreat.

The second foray came after the gruesome murder and cannibalism of two American traders on the island of Waya. A contingent of ten Marines and forty sailors, equipped with carbines, swords, and a single 12‑pounder howitzer, set out to strike the mountain village of Somatti. Their objective was to compel the locals into open combat.

Lt. Caldwell, the expedition’s commander, recorded in his journal, “It was a novel undertaking to assault and destroy a mountain tribe in their stronghold with a party of seamen.” The ascent proved more arduous than anticipated, forcing the party to abandon the howitzer. Upon reaching the village, they discovered the Wayan warriors awaiting them, ready for battle.

A fierce pitched fight followed, pitting the American forces against roughly three hundred Wayan fighters armed chiefly with clubs and bows. Despite the numerical disadvantage, the expeditionary troops triumphed, securing a victory that would later be remembered as the Battle of Somatti.

9 Barbary Wars

The early nineteenth‑century Barbary Wars saw the United States square off against the so‑called “Barbary states” of North Africa—principally Tripoli and Algiers. Though nominally Ottoman territories, these ports operated with considerable autonomy, and their corsairs began seizing American merchant vessels, demanding tribute for safe passage.

In the immediate aftermath of the American Revolution, the fledgling United States lacked a formidable navy and sufficient funds, so it initially paid the demanded tribute. Unfortunately, the payments only emboldened the pirates, prompting more kidnappings and hostage‑taking of U.S. crews. The tide turned when Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison refused further tribute.

By then, the U.S. Navy had grown into a capable force. Squadrons were dispatched into the Mediterranean to confront the pirates and protect American commerce. These naval operations proved successful, dramatically curbing piracy and securing American shipping lanes.

8 The Moro Rebellion

After the Spanish‑American War, Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States in 1899, sparking a wave of resistance among the local population. In the southern archipelago, a particularly defiant group—the Moros, Muslim Filipinos with a long tradition of opposing foreign domination—rose up against American rule.

The United States attempted to assimilate the Moros and suppress practices it deemed unacceptable, such as slavery. The Moros, however, fought back fiercely from 1901 to 1913, establishing fortified positions on mountains and volcanoes and launching brutal “berserker” attacks against American forces.

The rebellion finally ended after the savage Battle of Bud Bagsac, in which U.S. troops annihilated roughly five hundred Moro defenders atop Mount Bagsac. Brigadier General John Pershing, commanding the American forces, later remarked, “The fighting was the fiercest I have ever seen… they are absolutely fearless, and once committed to combat, they count death as a mere incident.”

7 The Korean Expedition

In 1871, a U.S. Navy squadron sailed to Korea with two primary goals: to open trade relations and to investigate the fate of the merchant ship General Sherman. The General Sherman had attempted trade in 1866, only to be wrecked and its crew massacred by Korean forces.

During the squadron’s visit, Korean shore batteries along the Ganghwa Strait opened fire on the American vessels for reasons that remain unclear. The United States demanded an apology within ten days; when none arrived, it launched a punitive assault.

The Korean forts, equipped with outdated artillery, fell quickly under American bombardment. The most significant clash occurred on June 10, when U.S. troops captured the Ganghwa Citadel after intense close‑quarter fighting, leaving hundreds of Korean defenders dead. By 1882, diplomatic ties were restored.

6 The Invasion Of Grenada

In 1983, a communist coup seized power on the Caribbean island of Grenada, bolstered by Cuban troops. The new regime suspended civil liberties and began imprisoning political opponents, prompting alarm in Washington.

Concerned about the safety of roughly 600 U.S. medical students studying on the island and wary of expanding Soviet influence, President Ronald Reagan authorized a swift military intervention. Approximately 6,000 U.S. soldiers—including Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, and Marines—were deployed to restore order.

The American forces quickly overwhelmed the communist resistance, securing the island within days. Grenada subsequently held democratic elections in 1984, marking a rapid return to civilian governance.

5 The Quasi War

During the American Revolution, France extended large loans to the United States, expecting repayment over time. However, the French Revolution of 1794 toppled the monarchy, and the new French Republic halted the scheduled payments.

Incensed, the French began seizing American merchant vessels. After diplomatic overtures failed, the United States dispatched its navy in 1798 to confront the French navy, initiating what historians call the Quasi War.

For the next two years, U.S. and French warships clashed across the Atlantic and Caribbean. The uneasy naval standoff concluded in 1800 with the signing of the Convention of 1800, restoring peace between the two nations.

4 The Battle Of Ambos Nogales

Early twentieth‑century tensions along the U.S.–Mexico border escalated after a series of skirmishes between American troops and Mexican bandits, compounded by the revelation of the Zimmermann Telegram, which proposed a German‑Mexican alliance.

These strained relations boiled over on August 27, 1918, when a dispute between Mexican and American customs officials erupted into a full‑scale firefight in the border town of Nogales. The chaotic battle raged for several hours before a cease‑fire was negotiated.

The encounter left numerous casualties on both sides, underscoring the volatility of the border region during World War I.

3 The Samoan Civil Wars

Between 1886 and 1899, the Samoan islands became the theater of a series of civil wars over the rightful monarch. The United States, Britain, and Germany each had strategic and commercial interests in the archipelago, dispatching warships that turned the conflict into a naval standoff known as the “Samoan Crisis.”

During the Second Samoan Civil War, American and British forces allied with Samoan troops to oppose German‑backed rebels who supported Mata’afa Iosefo as king. After a series of battles, the three powers negotiated the 1899 Tripartite Convention.

The agreement dissolved the Samoan monarchy, partitioning the islands: the eastern group became a U.S. territory, while the western islands fell under German control, reshaping the political landscape of the Pacific.

2 The Utah War

Since its founding in 1830, Mormonism often clashed with the United States government. After violent confrontations in Missouri and Illinois, Brigham Young led thousands of Latter‑day Saints westward in 1847, seeking isolation to preserve religious freedom.

In 1850, Congress created the Utah Territory and appointed Young as its inaugural governor. By 1857, President James Buchanan grew uneasy about Young’s influence and dispatched 2,500 troops to enforce federal authority. In response, Young’s militia sabotaged supply lines, burned provisions, and seized cattle, nearly sparking open warfare.

After a series of tense encounters, Buchanan and Young reached a peace agreement in 1858, averting a full‑scale conflict and restoring a tenuous balance between the federal government and the settlers.

1 The Battle Of Negro Fort

In the early nineteenth century, a dilapidated British fort on the frontier of Spanish Florida transformed into a sanctuary for escaped slaves and free Black refugees, eventually known as “Negro Fort.” The settlement housed roughly 800 Black men, women, and children, prompting Southern leaders, including President Andrew Jackson, to view it as a dire threat to slavery.

On July 17, 1816, the fort’s garrison ambushed an American gunboat, killing all but one crew member. In retaliation, Jackson ordered the fort’s destruction. The American commander demanded surrender; the defenders refused, preferring death over returning to bondage. A red flag signifying “no quarter” was raised.

The battle culminated on July 27 when a Navy cannonball struck the fort’s powder magazine, detonating a massive explosion that obliterated the stronghold and killed nearly everyone inside. Colonel Clinch, the American officer, later wrote, “The explosion was awful and the scene horrible beyond description.”

Why These 10 Lesser Known Conflicts Matter

Each of these ten lesser known episodes reveals how America’s military and diplomatic choices extended far beyond the famous battles taught in classrooms. By digging into these hidden stories, we gain a richer, more nuanced picture of how the United States grew into the global power it is today.

For as long as humans have been casting nets and pulling in a catch, they have also been squabbling over who gets the tastiest morsel. The saga of these 10 bitter conflicts shows that seafood can be just as divisive as oil or gold. While we lack tales of prehistoric people brawling over a prized trout, history is packed with riots, international standoffs, and even armed skirmishes sparked by fish, crustaceans, and mollusks.

Why These 10 Bitter Conflicts Matter

Understanding these clashes helps us see how deeply food security, national pride, and local economies intertwine. Each dispute reveals a different facet of human nature—greed, tradition, and the fierce protectiveness of a community’s livelihood.

10 1959)

The Oyster Wars erupted shortly after the Civil War when the Chesapeake Bay oyster boom turned the region into a gold rush for shellfish. Towns sprouted along the water, each attracting fortune‑seekers eager to claim the richest beds. Tensions boiled over as locals and newcomers clashed, and when the newcomer supply dwindled, the locals turned their guns on one another. Gunfire rattled between Maryland and Virginia watermen, and even intra‑state feuds broke out among fishermen from different counties.

State authorities eventually stepped in, creating Maryland’s infamous “Oyster Navy,” a maritime police force that proved largely ineffective. In 1882, Virginia’s governor William Cameron dispatched a militia to seize seven vessels suspected of illegal dredging in the Rappahannock River. Skirmishes over oyster territory persisted for decades, culminating in 1959 when Maryland patrollers fatally shot Virginian waterman Berkeley Muse. To finally halt the century‑long bloodshed, Maryland and Virginia signed a compact that put an end to the Oyster Wars.

9 Palingoproer: The Dutch Eel Riot (1886)

In 19th‑century Amsterdam, a quirky pastime called eel‑pulling (palingtrekken) thrilled crowds. A rope strung across a canal held a live eel in the middle, and daring men in small boats tried to yank the slippery creature free. The winner earned six guilders—a tidy sum at the time. Though the sport was outlawed by the 1880s, its popularity didn’t wane.

On July 25, 1886, a bustling session on the Lindegracht Canal was abruptly halted when police intervened, cutting the eel loose. Legend says a falling rope struck a spectator, who then beat the officers with an umbrella. Within hours, a full‑blown riot erupted: onlookers hurled bricks at the police, and the chaos continued into the night. The following day, the army opened fire on rioters storming the police station. The tragic outcome left twenty‑six civilians dead and thirty‑two seriously injured, marking the Palingoproer as one of the most severe instances of police brutality in Dutch history.

8 Newlyn Mackerel Riots (1896)

Newlyn, a historic fishing port on England’s western coast, was dominated by devout fishermen who refused to work on the Sabbath. Meanwhile, large fishing firms from England’s east coast happily cast their nets on Sundays, delivering their catch to market on Monday and fetching premium prices. The disparity left Newlyn’s observant fishermen bitter, especially when, in May 1896, Tuesday’s market price for 120 mackerel plummeted to a meager three shillings.

On May 18, fed‑up locals boarded the eastern vessels and flung thousands of mackerels back into the sea. The unrest spread to other Cornish communities, where fishermen attacked eastern boats and erected barriers to block harbor access. Authorities eventually called in the military; after a standoff involving stone‑throwing, order was restored, and the eastern companies continued their Sunday fishing unabated.

7 1976)

Cod has long been a cornerstone of global economies, and it’s no surprise that nations have tussled over its harvest. The so‑called Cod Wars between the United Kingdom and Iceland span several centuries, with the first recorded clash in 1415 when English officials arrested a Danish envoy in Iceland, then a Danish territory. This incident sparked a treaty that was renegotiated repeatedly, each side waiting for political upheaval in the other to gain an edge in the cod trade.

The 20th‑century Cod Wars consisted of three confrontations featuring warning shots, net‑cutting, and occasional ramming. Though the naval skirmishes were relatively minor, they resulted in just two recorded fatalities: a British fisherman and an Icelandic engineer. Ultimately, Iceland emerged victorious, securing treaties that effectively ended Britain’s long‑distance cod fishing in Icelandic waters.

6 1964)

The crux of the Lobster War between France and Brazil hinged on a seemingly simple question: do lobsters crawl or swim? Brazil argued that spiny lobsters crawl along the continental shelf, making them solely Brazilian resources. France countered that lobsters swim like fish, granting any nation the right to harvest them. After French vessels were reported catching lobsters off Pernambuco, Brazil’s president gave France a 48‑hour ultimatum to withdraw. When French boats refused, the Brazilian Navy seized one vessel and barred all French boats from its coast.

The following year Brazil captured three more French ships, escalating the dispute. Resolution finally arrived in 1964 when both nations agreed to extend Brazil’s exclusive economic zone while permitting limited French lobster fishing. No blood was shed, but biologists on both sides continued debating the locomotion of lobsters for years thereafter.

5 1981)

After the Vietnam War, Vietnamese refugees settled around Galveston Bay, Texas, finding work on shrimp boats. Their growing presence alarmed local white shrimpers, who saw the newcomers as competition for the bay’s limited resources. Violence erupted in 1979 when a fistfight led to a white crabber being shot and several Vietnamese vessels set ablaze. The tension attracted the Texas Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in 1981, who staged armed demonstrations and threatened Vietnamese shrimpers with pistols and paramilitary gear.

A lawsuit filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center exposed a video of KKK leader Louis Beam urging his militia to “utterly destroy everybody.” The legal action forced the Klan’s harassment groups to disband, but not before many Vietnamese shrimpers had fled or suffered property loss. The episode inspired the 1985 film Alamo Bay and foreshadowed the rise of contemporary white supremacist movements that continue to threaten minority communities.

4 Turbot War (1995)

In 1995, the Canadian Coast Guard seized the Spanish trawler Estai, accusing it of exceeding its Greenland turbot quota in international waters off Newfoundland. Canada labeled the seizure an act of “organized piracy,” while the European Union condemned the move. In the weeks that followed, Canadian vessels cut the nets of three additional Spanish and Portuguese boats, intensifying the standoff.

Spain responded by dispatching a warship to protect its fleet, prompting a diplomatic showdown. Ultimately, Canada and the EU reached an agreement that bolstered fishing enforcement and raised Spain’s turbot quota, bringing the dispute to a close. No turbots attended the negotiations—just a very heated dinner table.

3 2020)

In October 2012, roughly forty French vessels encircled a handful of British fishing boats off the French coast. French fishermen were furious that their nation prohibited scallop harvesting between May and October, while British boats could fish year‑round. According to the British, French crews hurled stones, nets, and even taunts that could have been ripped from a Monty Python sketch.

Violence flared again in 2018 and 2020, with French fishermen reportedly tossing frying pans, flares, gasoline bombs, and oil at their British rivals. The animosity remains palpable, proving that even within Europe, a scallop can spark serious discord.

2 Guang Da Xing No. 28 Incident (2013)

On May 9, 2013, a Filipino Coast Guard patrol boat opened fire on the unarmed Taiwanese fishing vessel Guang Da Xing No. 28 in contested waters. The gunfire struck the boat at least 45 times, killing 65‑year‑old fisherman Hoh Shi Cheng. The incident ignited a diplomatic flashpoint between the Philippines and Taiwan, prompting protests in both nations. A Filipino ex‑policeman even burned a Taiwanese flag publicly, declaring, “Filipinos are not cowards.” Relations have since normalized, and the eight coast guard personnel responsible were convicted in 2019.

1 Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Lobster Dispute (2020)

The most recent entry on this list is the Mi’kmaq Lobster Dispute, which remains unresolved. A 1999 Supreme Court ruling affirmed that members of the Mi’kmaq tribe have the right to fish on a small scale whenever and wherever they choose. In September 2020, the Sipekne’katik First Nation launched a modest lobster fishery in Nova Scotia, sparking criticism from non‑Indigenous fishermen who argued the operation violated the commercial season.

By October, mobs of non‑Indigenous fishers besieged Indigenous‑owned lobster facilities, hurling rocks, shattering windows, and threatening arson. One facility was set ablaze, and remaining live lobsters were poisoned with PVC cement. Canadian officials have called for peace, yet tensions linger between Indigenous and non‑Indigenous fishermen, leaving the dispute simmering.

Wars are tragic, devastating affairs, which is why no one wants to fight them longer than it takes to resolve the issue. That’s not always the case, however, as we know of quite a few conflicts in history that went on for tens or hundreds of years. Some of the longest wars of the past could even be classified as eras of their own, often outlasting the people – and sometimes even the empires – that started them. This roundup of 10 history 8217 highlights the most enduring clashes ever recorded.

10 61 Years

10 history 8217 Overview

Kicking off in 1640, the Great Beaver Wars unfolded as a string of skirmishes between the Iroquois Confederacy—also known as the Five Nations—and a French‑backed coalition of Algonquian‑speaking tribes inhabiting the Ohio Country and the Great Lakes region.

The hostilities dragged on for more than six decades, finally winding down in 1701. Control of the lucrative fur trade sparked the conflict, prompting the Iroquois to launch campaigns against rivals such as the Huron, Petun, and Erie peoples.

Fought largely around the Great Lakes and Ohio River Valley—key fur‑trading hubs—the wars displaced or decimated many Native American groups, reshaped regional power balances, and ultimately left the tribes vulnerable to European colonization and assimilation.

9 77 Years

From 1823 to 1900, the Anglo‑Ashanti Wars pitted the Ashanti Empire—located in modern‑day Ghana—against the British Empire in a series of brutal confrontations.

These wars erupted in three major phases (1823‑1831, 1863‑1864, and 1873‑1874). The Ashanti, renowned for their military skill, initially bested British forces with guerrilla tactics, securing decisive victories in the first two campaigns.

Eventually, superior British firepower and a succession of treaties forced the Ashanti to cede control over lucrative slave, gold, and trade routes along Africa’s west coast, cementing colonial dominance.

8 0 Years

True to its name, the Eighty Years’ War raged from 1568 to 1648, a protracted struggle between the Spanish Empire and the Dutch Republic.

Rooted in religious and political tensions, Dutch Protestants led by William I of Orange rebelled against Catholic Spanish rule, spurred by Philip II’s oppressive policies.

Spain’s early successes were reversed when France entered the fray, tipping the balance in favor of the Dutch. The conflict concluded with the Peace of Münster in 1648, securing Dutch independence and shaping Europe’s religious‑political landscape.

7 80 Years

The Anglo‑Afghan Wars comprised three separate conflicts spanning from 1839 to 1919, forming a crucial chapter of the Great Game between Britain and Russia.

Britain, intent on safeguarding its Indian empire, clashed with Afghan rulers such as Dost Mohammad Khan and Sher Ali Khan, with major battles unfolding in Kabul, Kandahar, and surrounding regions.

Initial British victories gave way to disaster after the 1842 retreat, and by 1919 the United Kingdom signed an armistice relinquishing control over Afghanistan’s foreign affairs, marking the end of a lengthy imperial contest.

6 101 Years

Japan’s Sengoku Period, a century‑long era of upheaval, began around 1467 with the Ōnin War—a power struggle among rival samurai clans.

Local daimyōs and their armies vied for dominance as the centralized Ashikaga shogunate weakened, fragmenting the nation into a patchwork of feudal fiefdoms.

The chaos persisted until 1568, when Oda Nobunaga emerged as the pre‑eminent warlord, later succeeded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who finally reunified Japan under a single authority.

5 146 Years

The Australian Frontier Wars erupted with the arrival of British settlers in 1788, thrusting poorly‑armed Indigenous peoples into a clash with a battle‑hardened imperial army.

Over roughly a century and a half, the conflict claimed the lives of up to 60,000 native Australians, accompanied by widespread violence against civilians and soldiers alike.

By 1900, disease, warfare, and forced displacement had reduced the Indigenous population by an estimated 90 percent, leaving a profound scar on Australia’s history.

4 196 Years

From 1095 to 1291, the Crusades comprised a series of Christian‑sponsored military campaigns aimed at reclaiming the Holy Land from Islamic control.

Early successes saw the establishment of Crusader states in Palestine and Syria, yet the tide turned as burgeoning Muslim forces recaptured territory.

The Ninth Crusade’s failure and the Muslim conquest of Acre in 1291 signaled the end of the Crusader presence, closing a 196‑year chapter of religious warfare.

3 96 Years

Spanning from 1533 to 1929, the Yaqui Wars were a protracted civil conflict between New Spain (later Mexico) and the Yaqui people of Sonora.

The primary spark was the encroachment of Yaqui lands by European and Mexican settlers, prompting a series of brutal confrontations marked by summary executions and scorched‑earth tactics.

Mexican forces employed private armies and forced deportations, ultimately suppressing the rebellion in 1929 after decades of intermittent violence.

2 680 Years

Fought intermittently from 53 BC to 627 AD, the Roman‑Persian Wars pitted the Roman Republic, later the Roman and Byzantine Empires, against the Parthian and Sassanid Persian empires.

Stretching across a massive frontier from the Transcaucasus to Mesopotamia, the wars saw no decisive territorial gains but drained both powers, leaving them vulnerable to the rise of Islamic armies.

The protracted conflict reshaped the geopolitical landscape of the ancient Near East, earning its reputation as a Great War of antiquity.

1 770 Years

The Reconquista was a nearly 770‑year struggle triggered by the Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, beginning with the defeat of the Visigothic Kingdom in 711.

Christian kingdoms of the north—Castile, Aragon, and Portugal—gradually pushed southward against Muslim‑ruled states, driven by religious fervor and territorial ambition.

The campaign culminated in 1492 with the fall of the Emirate of Granada, the last Muslim stronghold, captured by Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, ending Muslim rule in Iberia.

At the peak of its power, the British empire encompassed about one-fourth of the world’s area and population, making it by far the largest empire in history. Like every other successful empire before it, a large part of that was acquired on the battlefield, thanks to a formidable navy, technological improvements like cannons, and a strong economy based on trade from across the globe. 

10. Tacky’s Rebellion

The British colony of Jamaica went through a series of slave revolts in 1760, collectively known as Tacky’s Rebellion after one of its notable commanders. It all began on April 8, when about 100 slaves from the northern St. Mary’s parish rebelled and captured the surrounding estates, killing any European settlers they found along the way. It grew into a serious uprising when the rebels – mostly from the Akan tribe in what is now Ghana –  marched on an unguarded British fort and raided its armory. 

While it soon spread to other regions of Jamaica and posed a serious challenge to British colonial power in the Caribbean, the rebellion was eventually suppressed by brutal counter insurgency tactics. By one estimate, more than 500 people – including black civilians suspected of aiding the rebels – were killed by British soldiers and local collaborators during the uprising. Hundreds of others were deported as enslaved workers to other regions, like the Bay of Honduras and Nova Scotia. 

9. Battle Of Omdurman

The Battle of Omdurman in Sudan was a part of the larger Mahdist war – a decades-long fight between the Egyptian government and a branch of Islam known as Mahdism. It began in 1881, when a Sudanese cleric, Muhammad Ahmad, declared an independent Mahdi state and rebelled against Egyptian rule. Britain entered the conflict on the side of Egypt, mostly to protect the newly-built Suez canal and its trade route to India. 

It was a long and bloody conflict, lasting until the final battle at Omdurman in 1898. Despite being outnumbered, the Anglo-Egyptian contingent was armed with state-of-the-art weapons – like Maxim machine guns and early bolt-action rifles – resulting in a massacre for the Mahdists. By the end of it, around 10,000 were killed in battle, compared to about 500 casualties on the Anglo-Egyptian side. 

8. Queen Anne’s War

The Second Intercolonial War, also known as Queen Anne’s War in the UK, was primarily fought between colonial Britain and an alliance of France and a few native American tribes, with a limited involvement of other countries like Spain, the Netherlands, and Portugal. Beginning in 1702 with a formal declaration of war by Britain, it was a part of the larger colonial rivalry between Britain and France. Some historians have even called it the North-American theater of the Spanish War of Succession. 

Fighting was largely limited to the New England-New York frontier between England and France, and often involved raids on settlements ruled by the other side instead of open battles. In one of its bloodiest episodes, about 100 people – including children – were killed by French and native American forces in Deerfield, Massachusetts. 

Queen Anne’s War would last until peace was established in Europe between 1713 and 1715. As a result, France was forced to concede Acadia – now called Nova Scotia – Newfoundland, and a few other colonies in the region to Britain. 

7. First Matabele War

The Matabele kingdom was a powerful state in what is now Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, it was also an obstacle to British colonial ambitions in the region, specifically of the British South Africa Company. By 1891, Matabeleland and a few other nearby provinces had been declared British protectorates by the government in London, setting the stage for an inevitable confrontation with Matabelese forces. 

The First Matabele War happened in 1893, pitting a massively outnumbered force of about 700 soldiers of the British South African Police against more than 100,000 professional Matabele warriors. While the defenders wielded a large number of rifles, too, they were no match against British firepower, especially Maxim guns. Fighting ended with the capture of the capital Bulawayo on November 4, 1904, and the war came to an official end with the death of the Matabele king in 1894. 

6. Mau Mau Rebellion

The Kenya Land and Freedom Army – also called Mau Mau – was a popular African nationalist movement that posed a major threat to British rule in Kenya. While it originally started as a secret society within the Kikuyu tribe, it soon turned into a unified effort by various tribes against European colonialism. As it turned into a large fighting force and started targeting British interests, the authorities responded by declaring a state of emergency in October 1952. 

The Mau Mau were adept at guerrilla warfare due to their extensive knowledge of the terrain, though the better-equipped British forces ultimately proved victorious. Hostilities came to an end at the end of 1955, resulting in the deaths of more than 10,000 natives due to the harsh counter-insurgency measures deployed by Britain and local loyalists. 

5. Malayan Emergency

The Malayan Emergency was one of the first conflicts of the Cold War, fought between British colonial forces and the Malaysian Communist Party. Like other British possessions in the region, the Malayan states had returned to British control after the end of Japanese occupation in WW2, despite the decisive role played in the war by MCP militias. In 1948, the Federation of Malay was formed as a British protectorate, restoring British colonial interests in the region and putting the previous rulers – called sultans – back into power. 

A state of emergency was declared by the government in June, 1948, after guerrilla fighters from the MCP and other communist factions started a violent insurgency to establish a people’s Malaysian state. British forces responded with a massive counter-insurgency campaign, involving repressive measures against civilians and forced relocation of at least 500,000 people across the territory, mostly Chinese. The conflict officially ended in a British victory in 1960, with a total loss of around 500 soldiers and 1,300 policemen on the British side, and about 6,000 fighters on the rebel side. 

4. Anglo-Ashanti Wars

The Ashanti empire was a powerful kingdom in the southern part of the modern nation of Ghana, ruling over a large territory for over two centuries. Much of its wealth and power came from the trans-Atlantic slave trade, as it was both a major source and destination of slaves in the resource-rich Gold Coast region. 

For much of its existence, the Ashanti kingdom was at war with the British colonial empire. The Anglo-Ashanti wars were a series of conflicts between the two powers in the 19th century, beginning in 1823 and ending with a bloody rebellion in 1900. While Ashanti forces were victorious in the initial conflicts, they were outmatched by the British war machine. The Anglo-Ashanti Wars consolidated British control over the Gold Coast region, until Ghana gained its independence in 1957. 

3. Cape Frontier Wars

Between 1779 and 1878, Dutch colonists and later British forces around Cape Colony engaged in one of the longest anti-colonial struggles in history. Fought primarily between European colonists and the Xhosa people – a pastoralist tribe in the Eastern Cape region of modern-day South Africa – they were a series of conflicts for the control of the eastern frontiers of South Africa, now known as the Cape Frontier Wars, or the Xhosa Wars. 

It could be placed in the context of larger struggles against colonialism and slavery ongoing at the time, as the Xhosa people were also prime targets for slavers in South Africa. While Xhosa forces were successful against Dutch militias in the beginning, the entry of British forces in 1811 turned the war in the colonists’ favor. In a curious turn of events, the Xhosa willingly slaughtered all their cattle following a prophecy in 1857, resulting in the decimation of their economy and widespread starvation. The defending forces were decisively defeated by 1878, and all Xhosa lands were eventually incorporated into the colony. 

2. Battle Of Plassey

The Battle of Plassey was fought in the northeastern part of what is now India, between the British East India Company and the ruling Nawab of Bengal, aided by the French East India Company. The short-lived battle – lasting for only a few hours on June 23, 1757 – could be seen as a part of the global Seven Years’ War between France and England. 

While the Nawab’s forces – numbering close to 50,000 men, including 16,000 cavalry – vastly outnumbered the 3,000-strong British contingent, he was eventually betrayed by one of his commanders, Mir Jafar. About one-third of that large army never entered the fight, causing confusion and a loss of morale amongst the rest of his troops. By the end of it, the Nawab was forced to flee the battlefield, resulting in a British victory at a cost of about 21 lives, compared to more than 1,500 casualties on the Bengali and French side. 

1. Battle Of Peking

The Battle of Peking on August 14, 1900 was only a part of the larger Boxer Rebellion – an anti-foreign nationalist uprising across China supported by the ruling Qin dynasty. By June, 1900, the uprising threatened almost all foreigners and Christians in the capital of Peking – now Beijing. A small relief force, led by the British Vice-Admiral Edward Seymour, was sent in from Tianjin on June 10, though they had to retreat due to heavy resistance by imperial Chinese troops. 

As the situation deteriorated rapidly, a much larger force of 55,000 soldiers from Britain, America, Japan, France, and Russia was assembled. By this time, foreigners and Chinese Christians in the city had organized themselves into a besieged zone called the Legation Quarter, defended by makeshift fortifications and a few hundred soldiers. Despite heavy resistance by rebels and Chinese soldiers, the International coalition was able to lift the siege and rescue most of them by August 14.