20th century wars which did not occur but should have

What follows is a list of 20th century international disagreements which could have flamed into full-scale war but didn't. For those of interest, please provide a brief description of causes, major battles, and outcomes. Which would probably have resulted in the greatest overall change from OTL. For some wars, dates are only suggestions.

- The undeclared US/English naval conflict of 1914-15 (in response to early "violation" of freedom of seas by RN)
- The US/Mexican War of 1916-18
- The Continuation War of 1919-21 (Germany refuses to sign versailles)
- The Pacific War of 1922-26 (US/Japan)
- The Rhineland War (France, UK invade Germany following Hitler's occupation of Rhineland.
- The Soviet/Japanese War of 1937-41
- World War 3 -1945-50 (Anti-Hitler alliance breaks up several months before Hitler's defeat with open hostilities between US/UK and USSR in 1945)
- World War 3 - 1952-1958? (Korean War expands to direct war between US/UK-led alliance and USSR/PRC)
- Suez War of 1956-60 - UK/France continue Suez operation as full-scale invasion/occupation of Egypt.
- World War 3 (1961 Berlin crisis erupts into war)
- World War 3 (1962 - Cuban missile crisis goes ballistic )
- Sino-Soviet War of 1970-75
- Hostage War of 1979-80 (US invasion of Iran)
- India-Pakistan War of 2000

I wouldnt say they should have occured, as much as the could have occured.

There was almost a war in the 1990s between Iran and the Taliban.

Not to mention several opportunites for an Iraqi Civil War

Xen said:

I wouldnt say they should have occured, as much as the could have occured.

There was almost a war in the 1990s between Iran and the Taliban.

Not to mention several opportunites for an Iraqi Civil War

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Good point, "could have" is much better....although the "Rhineland War" should have!

Alternate Wars

2000 Gore vs Bush Civil War

1949 Nuke Winter War (Atkins vs Groves at Manhattan Project)

1940 Russian Attack on Germany (when Germany was busy in France)

1939 Stavka Coup

1939 Belgian Attack on Rhineland (after Germany attacked Poland)

1936 Stavka Coup

1936 French Rhineland Civil War (army mutinies when socialists order attack)

1934 Newfoundland Default War (Newfies lost right to self government)

1933 Roosevelt vs Hoover Civil War

1933 US vs Japan (china)

1921 Italian Civil War

1919 Indian Independence War

1915 UK vs Germany (after France conquered)

1914 Irish Independence War

1912 Balkans and Italy vs Austria and Turkey

1905 Russian Civil War

1905 Franco-Prussian War II

18?? Australian Independence War

2001 the american-european war of atomic genocide/the great burning
2003 WWIII between America,china and the islamic bloc
WWIII in 1979
WWIII in 1957
2002 war between china and taiwan
1939 second russo-japanese war
1932 civil war between Huey Long,FDR and Hoover

What about the following- many have already been referred to previously

1904- Anglo-Russian war over Dogger Bank incident

1912-Franco-German war over Agadir incident

1922-24- continued Greco-Turkish war

1937- US war against Japan over USS PANAY sinking

1938-39- Sudetenland War

1958- British war with Iraq over Kuwait (Gulf War 1 30 yrs earlier)

1960-64- direct military confrontation between US, USSR in Congo

1961-63- Dutch-Indonesian war over West Papua

mid-1960s- war between Australia, Britain, US vs expansionist Sukarno Indonesia

1962- US invasion of Cuba during Missile Crisis period

1968- 2nd Korean War over USS PUEBLO, or alternatively over continued NK incursions into ROK between 1966 and 1971

1973- extended Yom Kippur War- direct US military intevention in support of Israel

1974- British war over Turkey's invasion of Cyprus

1979-81- British war with Guatemala over Belize

mid to late-1980s- US invasion of Nicaragua from Honduras

1985-86- US war against Iran after Shi'ite hostage-taking

1987- US war on Iraq over USS STARK

early 1990s- civil war in Central Asian FSU republics between indigenous ppls, Russian settlers

1990-91- fullscale US military intervention in Liberian civil war

1993-94- South African post-apartheid civil war among ANC, Inkatha, AWB supporters

1993-95- Macedonian war

1998- Indian, Pakistani nuclear exchange

1999- Australian war with Indonesia over East Timor

2000- fullscale Fijian civil war between indigenous Fijians, ethnic Indians

This deserves a good bump.

Blowing up Scandinavia

1905: Norwegian war of independence.
1950-80: The Cod wars

Dutch-Guyanese War of 1968.

US Israeli War after the Liberty incident?

Dutch-American invasion of Suriname 1983.

1902 United States and Germany at war over Venezuela incident

1919 Several Allied Powers at war with the Netherlands over the Dutch refusal to hand over the Kaiser for war crimes trial

1923 Italy at war with Greece beginning with Corfu incident

1934 Italy at war with Germany after Austria Brenner Pass warning is ignored

1939-1940 England and France at war with Russia over Finland

1946 United States at war with Russia over Russian failure to withdraw troops from Iran

1956 NATO at war with Warsaw Pact over Hungary invasion

1958 United States at war with China over Chinese seizure of Quemoy and Matsu

1981 Iraqi-Israeli war after Israeli attack on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear site

1961 - American backed Taiwanese invasion of the Mainland, taking advantage of the great leap forward screwing China to hell.

Melvin Loh said:

1993-95- Macedonian war

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That happeend in 2001. Does that count?

1970/71 Iranian-British war over Bahrain
1981 - Bahranian civil war as a result of shi'ia coup
1995ish - Egyptian civil war between islamists and government
1996ish - Turco-Syrian war over Turkish dams on Euphrates

1932- Chaco War explode into a Great Latin American war with most Latin American nations involved.

For Finland:

1905: War of Independence

1918-20: (2nd) War of Åland

1919-1920: Finno-Soviet War ("War for St. Petersburg")

1918- (say)1926: Any number of alternate Wars of Karelian Liberation ("Kin Wars")

1935: The Repola and Porajärvi War ("Kosola's War")

1935-41: Alternate Finno-Soviet wars

1941: German invasion of Soviet-occupied Finland

1943-46: Alternate Finno-German wars

1948: Second Civil War

1938. French intervention in spansih civil war, on republican side.
1944. Allied invasion of Spain to overthrow Franco.

1948 Following the Tito-Stalin split, Russia invades Yugoslavia to "perserve" communism there.

1934-Poland invades Germany after their rulers sense the danger of Hitler.

King Thomas said:

1934-Poland invades Germany after their rulers sense the danger of Hitler.

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Rarely do nations go to war based on a hunch. Rarely.

1930s Poland? I don't think it's plausible at all. Pacifism was all the rage globally, and Poland was hardly in a position to invade its neighbors.