Essays in Political Economy

Home | Mises Library | A Century of War

A Century of War

Essays in Political Economy

Tags War and Foreign PolicyWorld History

04/24/2002John V. Denson

The most accurate description of the twentieth century is "The War and Welfare Century." This century was the bloodiest in all history. More than 170 million people were killed by governments with ten million being killed in World War I and fifty million killed in World War II. In regard to the fifty million killed in World War II, it is significant that nearly 70 percent were innocent civilians, mainly as a result of the bombing of cities by Great Britain and America.

Note: The views expressed on Mises.org are not necessarily those of the Mises Institute.
Author:

John V. Denson

John V. Denson is Distinguished Scholar in History and Law at the Mises Institute. He is a practicing attorney in Alabama and the editor of two books, The Costs of War and Reassessing the Presidency, and the author of A Century of War: Lincoln, Wilson and Roosevelt.