The 8 types of Wars (and their characteristics)

Throughout history there have been many wars., all of them with different characteristics but showing common features that allow us to classify them into different types. Every war involves a confrontation between two or more parties that ends with the defeat of one of them and the death of a large part of the population involved.

The causes can be multiple such as religion, politics, economics or territory. Apart from human losses, material goods are also affected, as well as food, animals or even the climate and the environment.

There are different types of wars according to the characteristics that show how the countries involved or the type of strategies they use, we differentiate between: global, involves many countries; civil, different sides of the same country face each other; biological, pathogens are used; guerrillas, brief and rapid confrontations; invasion, entry by force of the army of one country into the territory of another; nuclear, with weapons of mass destruction; holy, in the name of religion; and commercial, which entails barriers to trade.

In this article we will talk about the most relevant features of wars. Likewise, we will mention some of the main types, mentioning their most outstanding characteristics.

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What is meant by war?

War is a conflict between two groups of individuals or more. The confrontation may or may not be armed, but in any case the purpose or intention is to be above the others, to defeat them. Thus the techniques used may be different. When thinking of wars, the first thing that comes to mind is battles with weapons, but also there can be confrontation, opposition, between two groups without physical violence only dispute psychological.

Although there may be different types of wars, they normally all have in common the intention of each side of the conflict. prevail over the other and the occurrence of losses, whether material or human, resulting in changes more or less radicals. So we see how throughout history, continuously, there have been wars that have changed the course of events, each adapting to the historical moment or reasons that move the society. Next, we will mention the main types of wars that exist and what distinctive characteristics each one of them shows.

How are wars classified?

According to the participants, actions or strategies carried out, we can classify different types of wars. We will cite some of the most common types of wars, mentioning the most representative examples of each one.

1. Civil war

Civil war is characterized by a confrontation between two or more sides of the same state or country.. Generally the causes are political although they can also be religious, economic or any issue that creates dispute. The intention, as we have already mentioned, is usually the attempt of one of the sides to impose itself on the other, showing the two very opposite characteristics.

Thus, it is common for one of the groups to rise up against the other, which normally has power. It can also be linked to the intention of separation, of becoming independent, which shows a part of the country in the face of the refusal of the current government.

As in other wars, the consequences can be devastating, added to the fact that on this occasion the combatants are part of the same country, being able to even be acquaintances or family members, and without having, on many occasions, the necessary training or knowledge to fight, that is, most of them are not military. Known examples of this type of war are the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and the United States War of Independence (1775-1783).

2. World War

The world war arises between different countries participating the different continents, we thus see the magnitude of this conflict and the worldwide consequences it will entail. The main powers of the world are involved and it is difficult for any country to remain neutral. The main reason, as we have already seen, is the search for the imposition of power by one of the countries.

Given the number of participating states and the fact that the battlefield is the entire world (Earth), you destroy them and human losses are incalculable, requiring a long recovery period to return to normality. As we well know, throughout history there have been two world wars, the first from 1914 to 1918, imposing the triple force of France, United Kingdom and Russia and the second from 1939 to 1945 defeating the Allies, United Kingdom, France, Russia and the United States, leaving many more dead than the first.

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3. Holy war

As we can deduce from the name, holy war is the carried out between two or more religious groups with the intention of imposing themselves and affirming their religion as the only true one. They are usually led by the church or a religious leader, fighting on behalf of the god they believe in. Thus, the formation of the sides, in this type of war, is by beliefs and not so much by territory or country. A well-known example of this type of warfare is the crusades promoted by the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages.

4. invasion war

Invasive warfare is developed by the forcible entry of the army of one country into another territory in order to conquer them.. In the face of the invasion attempt, the interrupted country will take defense measures against the rival's attack. We must highlight the need for the invading force to be external, otherwise we will not be able to consider this type of war as such.

Given the magnitude of the action and the time it may take, it is common for the attacking country to have strategies planned to achieve their objective and the attacked country tries to resist in any way trying to stop the advance of the army enemy. There are different types of invasion depending on whether the attackers arrive by land, sea or air. As examples of invasion we can mention: the one that happened in Poland by the Nazis in 1939 or that of Iraq by the United States in 2003.

5. Nuclear war

A nuclear war involves the use of nuclear weapons, weapons of mass destruction, which entails the loss of many human lives, as well as fauna and flora, the planet could end up destroyed. The activation of a war of this caliber would produce serious consequences on earth due to the radiation it gives off and the climate change it entails.

To date, no such war has taken place, since the countries that have the required weapons are aware of what the start of a nuclear war would mean, seeing not only the lives of many people in danger but also of the species human. We must point out as a nuclear attack the one carried out by the United States on the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

6. trade war

The trade war involves the imposition of barriers to free trade. In this case, the war is not so much linked to physical violence or armed conflict but more to the struggle to dominate the trade and affect the export and sale of products from other countries, ultimately affecting the economy at the world. It can be done in different ways, from blocking transportation, preventing products from being distributed, to passing laws and dividing up areas of exploitation. An example of a trade war is the one started between the United States and China in 2018.

7. biological warfare

Biological warfare uses pathogenic agents such as viruses or bacteria, or bioactive agents such as toxins, in order to sicken or cause death in the population. and animals or contaminate water or food. In this way, it is about generating and transmitting a more or less serious infectious disease that can lead to an epidemic.

During World War I, the German army used the bacteria "Bacillus anthracis" as a biological weapon. It is also known that armies such as the Mongolian or the Turkish used to throw the corpses in the drinking water reserves of the enemies. Currently, it is suspected that there are countries that still keep biological weapons, specifically: Iran, China, Russia, North Korea, Syria and Israel.

8. Guerrilla warfare

guerrilla warfare is based on using a poor military strategy which consists of brief confrontations by armed civilian groups and a rapid withdrawal, using techniques such as ambushes, violent and surprise attacks; looting, taking other people's property or lightning wars with a quick and forceful intervention. Typically these strategies are used by smaller groups facing a larger army, which they cannot fully cope with. directly, also helping them on many occasions the greater knowledge they have of the land, the territory, since they live in it.

Examples of guerrilla warfare are those carried out in Spain during different historical periods, such as the fight of the Vascones (an ancient Hispanic native people) against Charlemagne.