10 Deadliest Wars In History

3. World War I (Worldwide, 1914-1918): 31 Million-65 Million Deaths

It was always going to feature somewhere on the list - for it is not referred to as "The Great War" for nothing, although there is nothing great about it. World War I was the first truly global war and, although it centred primarily in Europe, it affected the population of the entire planet. Lasting from July 1914 until November 1918, it is estimated that between 31million and 65million people perished during the First World War - including more than 9million combatants. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria by Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo may have been the match that lit the fuse that started the conflict, but for decades beforehand tensions had been arising in Europe between the Great Powers. Germany used Ferdinand's assassination to attempt to expand their influence, and as a result the Triple Entente of Britain, France and the Russian Empire would assume conflict against the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary - before the USA, Italy and Japan joined the Allied side, and the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria the German side. More than 70million military personnel were mobilised during the Great War, and alongside the 9million combatants who perished, many died in such tragedies as the Armenian genocide and the so-called "Rape of Belgium" - when German invaders summarily executed the local populous. Not only did World War I result in in up to 65million deaths, it also greatly facilitated the onset of the Second World War - and the loss of tens of millions more lives.