Top 10 Biggest Military Losers of Modern History

You may not have known this, but I'm a pretty big fan of modern history. From growing up with history books and studying it in university, I love learning about past cultures and ideas, and I am especially intrigued by the history of armed conflict. Scarcely a week goes by where I don't read a book or watch a movie about some past struggle. What I find curious, though, is that you'll often see the great debate about “which civilization has won the most wars throughout history”, when hardly anyone ever asks about who has lost the most. So that's what I'm here to discuss today.

Now before we begin, I'd just like to make clear that when it comes to war there are no winners, only losers; it's just that some states lose more than others. So for this reason, my list here takes human and material losses into account as well as the level of tactical/strategic victory achieved versus the sheer number of conflicts outright lost. This list will focus only on wars (not including internal coups or rebellions) fought after 1800, for two reasons: first is that most of today's countries didn't exist back then and, second, because this is the era of history I'm most familiar with. And as always, this is just a matter of opinion, so feel free to disagree.

Dishonourable mentions: Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Syria

10 – Hungary

In 1848, Hungarian nationalists started a revolution to gain independence from the Austrian Empire. After nearly succeeding, they were crushed once the Russians decided to lend Austria their aid. Later, Hungary became a semi-autonomous kingdom within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was in this state that Hungary sided with the Central Powers of the First World War. After losing in November 1918, the empire was broken up. The newly independent state of Hungary was defeated the following year in a brief war against Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Serbia. Hungary sided with the Axis forces during the Second World War and participated in the invasion of the USSR. It didn't go well; the Soviet Army turned the tide, Hungary suffered heavy casualties, Hungary's government tried to surrender, the Nazis then staged a coup, set up a puppet government, and occupied the country. The Soviets invaded Hungary, laid siege to Budapest, and conquered it in February 1945. In 1956 the Hungarians rebelled against continued Soviet domination, but the uprising was violently crushed. The nation remained under occupation until 1991.

9 – Austria

Between 1792 and 1809, Austria lost no less than four wars to the French who twice occupied Vienna. Austria finally beat France in 1814. But the French – with some Sardinian and Italian help – got their revenge by defeating Austria in 1859 in the Franco-Austrian War. Defeat again came at the hands of the Prussians during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. After arguably initiating the First World War, Austria-Hungary took the side of the Central Powers. It suffered total defeat in November 1918, losing much of its territory. After being annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938, the Austrians fought as part of the Third Reich during the Second World War. The nation lost once again and was under Allied occupation until 1955. Since then Austria has remained strictly neutral in international affairs. And really, who can blame them?

8 – France

Although Napoleon's France conquered and commanded much of Western and Central Europe in the early 19^th century, the First French Empire met its end at Waterloo in 1815. Under imperial ambitions, the Second French Empire, under the leadership of Napoleon III, invaded Mexico in 1861. Unable to cope with the Mexicans' guerrilla warfare tactics, the French withdrew in 1867. Not long after – in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1 – an alliance of German states swiftly crushed and humiliated the French army and occupied the country's northern half. Although France was on the winning side of the First World War, the victory's human, material, and economic cost was so devastating that most Frenchmen today consider it a loss. During the Second World War, the German blitzkrieg forced the Third French Republic to surrender after only a month and a half of combat. The northern half of the country was again occupied, while the southern half was ruled by a collaborationist regime, which was also later occupied. Despite the bravery of various resistance groups, France was not fully liberated until the summer of 1944 when the Western allies invaded and drove the Germans out. Following WWII, France then lost two major colonies after losing long and bloody campaigns: Indochina (1946-54) and Algeria (1954-62).

7 – Russia/USSR

Russia's military history has been very up and down over the centuries. After defeating Napoleon's armies once and for all in 1815, imperial Russia spent the next century winning a multitude of wars against Turkey, Poland, Persia, Egypt, and China, but also losing in several wars against the French, the British, and (at the time, surprisingly) the Japanese. Russia entered World War One on the side of the Entente Powers, where it proved completely ineffectual. Not only did Russia lose more than two million lives and tons of territory, but the nation was totally bankrupt and on the brink of a Bolshevik revolution. From 1917 to 1922, the nation was engulfed in Civil War; i.e. Russia was on both sides, so no matter what, Russia would lose. Around three million lives were lost, and of course, the bad Russians ended up winning, forming the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The new state tried expanding its union by waging war with neighbouring states in Eastern Europe and Central Asia with mixed success. The Second World War saw the USSR capture the Baltic states, and conquer half of Poland and parts of Finland. But in June 1941, the largest invasion in human history was launched against the USSR. The Eastern Front of WWII was the largest and most destructive military confrontation ever, and by the time it ended with the capture of Berlin in May 1945 around 27 million Soviet citizens had perished. During the Cold War (which the USSR ended up losing in 1991) the Soviet Union asserted its power over its sphere of influence, successfully pacifying uprisings in Hungary (1956) and Czechoslovakia (1968) and assisting in wars against Western-allied governments such as Korea (1950-3). However, its attempt at propping up the Marxist government of Afghanistan (1979-89) via invasion and occupation was a costly and unpopular mistake. Since 1991, the new Russian Federation has participated in many small regional wars, some successfully (against Moldova, Georgia, and now Ukraine), some not so much (against Chechnya and the Taliban).
Update 10Jan18: I originally mentioned here how Russia's fight against ISIS wasn't going well. But since writing this article history has proven me wrong; it looks as if ISIS is in serious trouble!

6 – Egypt

After three wars against the Ottoman Empire in the 1830's, the Egyptians had finally won their independence. But in 1882, they lost to the British who then ruled the land as a protectorate until after WWII. Egypt took a leading role in the Arab League's war against the new state of Israel in 1948 and suffered an embarrassing defeat. In 1956, Israeli, British, and French troops overpowered the Egyptian army and captured the Suez Canal in just seven days before the UN forced them to withdraw. It wasn't as bad as in 1967 when Israel again attacked and routed the Egyptians during the Six-Day War. During the Yom Kippur War of 1973, the Egyptians and Syrians made some impressive initial gains from their surprise attacks. However, the Israeli Defence Force promptly recovered and soon drove its adversaries back beyond their starting positions. Having lost no less than four wars to the same country in the span of 25 years, Egypt signed a permanent peace treaty with Israel in 1979.

5 – China

China was defeated in both Opium Wars against the British and French in 1839-42 and 1856-60 respectively. With its loss to Japan in the 1894-5 Sino-Japanese War, a severe blow was delivered against the Qing Dynasty. The anti-imperialist Boxer Rebellion of 1899-1901 was handily put down by an invasion force of Japanese, American, and various European troops. In 1931, imperialist Japanese forces overran and annexed Manchuria, and then launched a full-scale invasion of China in 1937, interrupting the civil war that began in 1927. Despite losing major territories and more than 20 million lives, the Chinese fought on. The Japanese withdrew after surrendering to the Allies in summer 1945. Less than a year later the civil war resumed, and since this was a civil war, that means that China was on both sides, thus assuring that the Chinese would lose. And wouldn't you believe, the bad side ended up winning, too: double loss.

4 – Poland

After gradually being partitioned away to other states in the 18^th century, the Poles tried many times in the 19^th century to regain their independence. At first, they cast their lot in with Napoleon's empire, but that didn't work. At the Congress of Vienna, Poland was split between the victorious Prussians and Russians. Subjugation to foreign emperors provoked a number of nationalist uprisings between 1830 and 1905, all of them ruthlessly suppressed. After the First World War, in which the Poles fought on both sides, Poland became an independent state for the first time in 123 years. Through a series of regional/local wars from 1918 to 1920 Poland managed to expand its arbitrarily-drawn borders. However, the Polish military collapsed under the weight of a joint Nazi-Soviet invasion in September 1939, sparking the Second World War. Although Polish armed forces continued to wreak havoc abroad, Poland itself was absolutely devastated by the German occupation. Despite the best efforts of the sizable Polish resistance movement, whole cities were razed and the region became the main stage for the Nazi's Holocaust. By the time the war ended, Poland's population had fallen by nearly 30%, the highest of any nation involved in WWII. Since then Poland has remained a bit more peaceful, focusing more on its commitments to its Warsaw Pact and (now) NATO brethren.

3 – Bolivia

Under the inspiration of the legendary Simon Bolivar from whom the country takes its name, Bolivia won its independence from the Spanish Empire in 1825. And it's pretty much all been downhill since. Three years afterwards, Bolivia was invaded and defeated by Peru. In 1835, the two countries formed the Peru-Bolivian Confederation. It didn't last; the confederacy was broken up after losing to the Chileans and Argentinians in 1839. Later during the War of the Pacific (1879-83), Chile again defeated a Bolivian-Peruvian alliance and was awarded with Bolivia's coastal provinces and other resource-rich territories. From 1932 to 1935, Bolivia fought against Paraguay in the costly Chaco War, which it lost despite having the larger and better equipped army. Having lost more than half of its original territory since independence due to conquest, Bolivia is today the poorest country in South America.

2 – Spain

After six years of guerrilla warfare, the Spaniards finally expelled Napoleon's Grande Armée in 1814, but the war brought about a significant social and economic upheaval of Spanish society. This turbulence resulted in Spain's overseas colonies revolting. From Boliva in 1809 to Equador in 1822, Spain lost war after war trying to keep its grip on its American territories, even going so far as (unsuccessfully) starting new wars to reconquer them. Between 1833 and 1877, Spain underwent three civil wars known as the Carlist Wars; since Spain fought on both sides, that means that Spain lost all three. After losing the Spanish-American war of 1898, Spain lost Cuba and Puerto Rico – its last remaining colonies in America – as well as Guam and the Philippines to the USA. From 1936 to 1939, Spain once again descended into civil war (possibly making it the country with the most civil wars ever!), bringing about severe destruction and numerous atrocities. Since the 1990's Spain has focused more of its attention on its NATO commitments.

1 – Turkey

By the 19^th century, the Ottoman Empire – in which Turkey was the centre – was undergoing an irreversible decline, earning its moniker as the “sick man of Europe”. In the 1800's it lost three wars each to both Russia (in 1812, 1829, and 1878) and Egypt (1832, 1839, and 1840). Also, the Greeks gained their independence by defeating the Ottoman Turks in 1827. After losing a war to Italy in 1912, the Turks found themselves in another war, this time losing to the combined forces of the Balkan League. This defeat cost the Empire nearly all of its remaining European territories. The Ottoman Empire entered the First World War on the side of the Central Powers. Its defeat in 1918 brought about the final dissolution of the empire and the occupation of Turkey. The Turks finally scored some victories from their War of Independence (1923) and the invasion of Cyprus (1974).