Worst possible 20th century

Yun-shuno

Banned
So I'm sure people here have heard of the historical phrase known as the hemoclasm of the 20th century. Your challenge is to have as many destructive and more destructive wars, revolutions and the like as possible so
Much that historians in the future say it was the most tragic century in human history

Not allowed: Nuclear war, alien invasion, pandemics that kill most of the population and other assorted mega disasters.

Make it as bloody as destructive as painful as possible.
 

trurle

Banned
It would be difficult unless you place the POD before 1900 (which is not allowed on this part of forum)
Basically, to meet your requirements you need and peaceful world-wide regime with associated over-population and resources depletion suddenly crumbling. May be it may be possible to tune history to make British Empire firstly conquering the world by 1900, only to fall apart catastrophically in multiple rebellions around 1950.
 

Minty_Fresh

Banned
A Communist revolution in France and Italy, or at least a catastrophic civil war, after World War II, in addition to the KMT holding onto an area of China and the Communist state falling apart into warring states vaguely Marxist, leading to civil war in China being continuous, leading to the death of over 100 million people.

That should get your death toll way up there. Another way to help would be for the Allies to institute the Morgenthau Plan after WW2, and have chemical weapons used profusely in the war.

Basically, if you want a lot of awful death, its not hard to tweak things a little bit.
 

trurle

Banned
A Communist revolution in France and Italy, or at least a catastrophic civil war, after World War II, in addition to the KMT holding onto an area of China and the Communist state falling apart into warring states vaguely Marxist, leading to civil war in China being continuous, leading to the death of over 100 million people.

That should get your death toll way up there. Another way to help would be for the Allies to institute the Morgenthau Plan after WW2, and have chemical weapons used profusely in the war.

Basically, if you want a lot of awful death, its not hard to tweak things a little bit.
KMT had no chance for the prolonged civil war. Their nationalistic ideology was hopelessly unpopular, and therefore government was deeply corrupt. IOTL, they failed spectacularly, with contemporary US advisers descriibing Chinese Civil War of 1947 as "Kuomintang officials imitating resistance to cover their asses".
Also, chemical weapons are much feared but are largely ineffective in killing men. This is basically a weapon which can kill a few hundred thousands for small cost, but as you try to scale-up massacre, cheap and efficient counter-measures (chemical masks and protection clothes) are becoming available. Therefore, chemical weapons cannot raise total WWII casualties too much.
I do not know the background for the possible Communist revolutions in France/Italy post-WWII, but it is difficult for me to imagine prolonged civil war not spiralling to nuclear exchange with the Soviet Union.
 
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