Conflict took place in every year of the 20th Century; the world was free from the violence caused by war for only very short periods of time. It has been estimated that 187 million people died as a result of war from 1900 to the present. The actual number is likely far higher.
The following list highlights just some of the conflicts that have impacted the lives of people from the United Kingdom, the British Empire and the Commonwealth since 1900. The museum records and preserves stories from many of these conflicts amongst its collections, which you can search here.
You will find that each conflict is described with a set of dates, which implies a defined ‘beginning and end’. While this is useful to help with classification, it is important to note that the causes and consequences of individual wars or conflicts extend far beyond these narrow ranges. Frequently, there are wider issues which connect many of them together; exploring and documenting these links through our collections is an ongoing process.
Boer War, 1899–1902
First World War, 1914–1918
Russian Civil War, 1917–1922
Third Afghan War, 1919
Irish War of Independence, 1919–1921
Irish Civil War, 1922–1923
Spanish Civil War, 1936–1939
Arab Revolt in Palestine, 1936-1939
Second World War, 1939–1945
Jewish insurgency in Mandatory Palestine, 1944-1948
Partition of India, 1947
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, 1948 onwards
Malayan Emergency, 1948–1960
Yangtze Incident, 1949
Korean War, 1950–1953
Kenya Emergency, 1952–1960
Cyprus Emergency, 1955–1959
Vietnam War, 1955–1975
Suez Crisis, 1956
Brunei Revolt, 1962–1963
Indonesian Confrontation, 1963–1966
Aden Emergency, 1963–1967
'The Troubles', 1969–1998
Falklands Conflict, 1982
Gulf War, 1990–1991
Sierra Leone Civil War, 1991–2002
Bosnian War, 1992–1995
Kosovo War, 1998–1999
War in Afghanistan, 2001–2014
Iraq War, 2003–2011
Libya Conflict, 2011–present
Syria Conflict, 2011–present
Yemen Conflict, 2014–present
Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, 2014–present
This period has two sections. The first one was all about the major changes in the Political World (Enlightenment/Revolutions) and the Economic World (Industrial Revolution). The second unit of the MODERN PERIOD (1750-1900) is all about the NEW IMPERIALISM. This is NOT your ‘Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue in 1492’. This time around the Europeans are looking for colonies to sell their products (MARKETS) and places to obtain more raw materials for their factories back home (MATERIALS). Using their new technological prowess, the West will dominate the world in search of M&Ms (MARKETS & MATERIALS).In the last unit, Industrialization pushed the West into a position of power; in this unit, they will flex that muscle around the globe. Below, are the many causes and effects of this NEW Imperialism.
BELOW IS A PAGE DEVOTED TO EACH OF THE EIGHT ‘GLOBAL CONFLICTS’ SECTIONS. CLICK ON A BANNER TO GO TO THAT PAGE: