A Look At How Eastern Europe Has Started Nearly Every Modern War

Can we avoid World War III?

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In 1853, a war broke out in Eastern Europe regarding “the Eastern question.” Russia seemed ascendant, while the Ottoman Empire looked like it was on the verge of collapse. The prospect of trading the Ottoman Empire for a Russian Empire was alarming in both London and Paris. The result was an obscure war that erupted in the Crimean Peninsula. By the end of the conflict, over 600,000 people would be dead, including 450,000 Russians.

The Crimean War began a trend in which Eastern Europe was the fuse that would light, and relight, and relight, the powder keg of global conflict. One hundred seventy years later, after the start of the first Crimean War, Eastern Europe continues to be a hotbed for global conflict.

Nearly every major war of the modern era began in the cradle of Eastern Europe, including history’s bloodiest conflicts. Here is an overview of all of the wars that began in Eastern Europe in the last 200 years, including the war that continues to tear Ukraine apart today.

19th Century

Eastern Europe featured heavily in the Napoleonic Wars. From Napoleon’s ill-fated invasion of Russia to numerous skirmishes between the French and the Austrians, Eastern Europe was a powerful…