War

and
Conflict

Will Taylor
100 years of war
Over the last 100 years, various major conflicts have drastically
altered the world and changed humanity forever. The 20th century
is known as the most violent century in the history of humanity. The
total death count of wars during the 20th century is estimated at at
least 187 million, although it is thought to be even higher.
 The World Wars: 1914-1918,1939-1945
It is estimated that World Wars 1 and 2 had a combined death count of between 90 to over 120
million soldiers and civilians. Countries such as the United Kingdom, Russia, China, Germany
and France lost at least 1.5 million lives during both of these wars combined, with Germany and
Russia each losing over 50 million lives combined during World War 2 alone. China also lost
an estimated between 12 and 20 million civilians in their fight against Japan. These wars were
two of the most deadly conflicts to ever occur in the history of humanity, and they had an effect
on the world that is still felt as strong today as it was decades ago.

Tyne Cot cemetery and memorial, New Washington World War 2 memorial,
Zealand Washington D.C.
 Korean War: 1950-1953
The Korean War, while largely forgotten, was
still a very important war and was very
influential relating to problems of the modern
world. The war, while only involving the
Russian backed North Koreans and the United
Nations supported South Koreans still had a
death count of over 61,000 American
soldiers, and almost 2.9 million total deaths
including over 1 million South Korean
citizens.
U.S. Air Force attacking railroads west of Wonsan on the Eastern coast of
North Korea.
 Vietnam War: 1955-1975
The war in Vietnam was another example of
clashes between Communism and Capitalism in
the setting of a divided country. This time,
Communist Russia and China backed the North
Vietnamese, otherwise known as the NVA, and
the United Nations backed South Vietnamese.
Over 3 million people were killed during the
Vietnam War, including 58,000 Americans.
American soldiers were not accustomed to the
jungle climate that they were fighting in, and the
use of guerrilla tactics and use of a sophisticated
tunnel system by the NVA forced the United
States to pull its soldiers out in 1973, making the
war the longest fought by American forces at
U.S. soldiers during operation Allen Brook in 1968.
17.4 years long.
 Conflict leading into the 21st century
U.S. aircraft fly over Kuwait oil fields burned by fleeing
Iraqi forces in 1991.
After the Vietnam War, the world had a few years of
relative peace until Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein
invaded Iran in 1980, starting the Iran Iraq war, which
claimed over 1 million Iranian lives and between
250,000 and 500,000 Iraqis. The United States had
very minor involvement in this war, but that would
soon change. In 1990, Saddam Hussein launched an
invasion of Kuwait, and in 1991 the United States
launched a massive air offensive called operation
desert storm. However, the war was estimated to
have claimed less than 1,000 lives of the coalition
formed by many allied powers, including over 300
United States deaths and 47 British deaths.
New challenges presented

Over the past 100 years we have seen huge changes in the way war is fought.
Wars are often fought on a much smaller scale today than they used to be,
and due to improving defensive technologies and better medical care for
wounded soldiers, casualty rates for soldiers are much lower than they used
to be. However, even if a soldier survives their service doesn’t mean that
they weren’t affected by their time in battle.
PTSD and its effects
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, otherwise known as PTSD, is a mental health
condition caused when an individual experiences or witnesses a terrifying and
stressful event. Even though PTSD is not only caused by traumatic events
experienced by individuals during service in war or armed conflicts.
Symptoms:
Taking Action
For the take action section of our project, we centered around soldiers
overseas and trying to show our gratitude for their service to them. We went
out to Zilker park and set up a stand where people could walk up and write a
letter for a soldier overseas. We then took the letters and sent them overseas
through the organization known as A Million Thanks.
How you can help
It is estimated that 7.3 percent of the population in the United States, almost
22 million men and women, have served in the military at some point in their
lives. Over 40,000 of these veterans live in and around the Austin area, living
and working among us. Organizations that you can donate to include:
Works Cited
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/symptoms-
causes/syc-20355967

https://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/HR/Veterans_Services_Brochure_v4web.
pdf

https://parade.com/297092/linzlowe/7-ways-to-help-veterans-soldiers-and-their-families/

https://www.cnn.com/2013/09/15/world/meast/gulf-war-fast-facts/index.html

https://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/