Random Longest Wars In History (19 items)

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  (#12) WWII Allies Vs. Germany (45 Years)

  While Nazi Germany signed the Instrument of Surrender and ended their war with the Western Allies in 1945, Germany itself was divided between the victorious powers. So no single state existed that had authority to sign a final peace treaty, and the war technically continued well into the Cold War. The US needed a legal pretext to keep troops in West Germany, and only ended its state of war with Germany in 1951.

  Though the political landscape had completely changed, it wasn’t until German reunification in 1990 that the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany could be signed. 
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  (#9) Kashmir Conflict (67 Years And Counting)

  India and Pakistan have fought three violent wars in their dispute over who has possession of the Kashmir territory. As soon as British rule of India ended in 1947, Pakistan attempted to annex Kashmir, which had a predominately Muslim population. The maharaja of the region didn’t want to join either country, but in 1947 he chose to join India.

  The first war lasted about a year from 1947 to 1948 and the second ended after just a few weeks in 1965. Both conflicts were bloody and caused high casualties on both sides, and the conflict has remained at various intensities. Still no real solution has been found to the problem.
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  (#15) Moro Insurgency (46 Years And Counting)

  The predominately Muslim Moro residents of the southern Philippines have engaged in armed resistance against Spanish, Japanese, and American colonial forces for over 600 years.

  The latest engagement began with the massacre of Muslim Moro soldiers by Filipino troops in 1968, and has continued as a low-level insurgency ever since. A number of engagements between Moro rebels and Filipino armed forces have resulted in thousands of casualties.
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  (#6) Huéscar Vs. Denmark (172 Years)

  In 1809, the Spanish municipality of Huéscar declared war on Denmark, which was itself at war with Napoleonic France. Spanish troops had been cut off in French-occupied Denmark during the war against France, and the Danish were forcing them to swear loyalty oaths to Napoleon’s brother. Despite the patriotic outburst, war fever apparently wasn’t all that contagious, as the people promptly forgot about it and went on with their lives.

  Long a local legend, it wasn’t until 1981 that a Spanish historian discovered the original declaration of war. A ceremony was arranged and on November 11 of that year the mayor of Huéscar and the Ambassador of Denmark officially ended their bloodless, forgotten war.
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  (#2) Taiwan Vs. The Netherlands (359 Years)

  The Dutch arrived on Taiwan in 1623, and within a year tried to Christianize the native tribes. Some converted willingly, but others resisted. The Dutch response was decidedly un-Christian: They burned their villages. In 1651, the Taromak tribe took up arms against their oppressors and the Dutch declared war. The Dutch were defeated and expelled from the island in 1662 by a Ming Dynasty loyalist named Koxinga, but no official peace was ever declared.

  In 2010, Dutch diplomat Menno Goedhart sought out the tribe’s current leader for an official end to the conflict. The peace process was simple: Goedhart went to the village’s spirit hut and asked for forgiveness and understanding from the tribe’s ancestors. Thus ended one of the longest declared wars in history.
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  (#13) Greco-Persian Wars

  • Anatolia

  Traditionally lasting from 492-449 BC, the Greco-Persian Wars began with a Persian-backed revolt in the Greek islands, involved two Persian invasions against the unified Greek city-states, and finally saw the Greeks go on a counterattack that beat the Persians and conquered their capitol of Byzantium. The war continued when Sparta left the Greek alliance, and the Delian League of Athens and her allies fought Persia up and down Asia Minor.

  Athens finally beat Persia again and gobbled up most of her territory. The war ended with the mythical Peace of Callias.

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