European history is full of wars. Since the year 1800, there have been 316 armed conflicts in Europe, and that’s only in the last 200 years! Go back further into Europe’s past and there are even more wars. Conflicts have been key in shaping Europe as it is today, but why did the continent have so many wars? What is unique about Europe that resulted in so much conflict throughout its history?
Read on! We’ve broken down the seven key factors for why Europe has had so many wars…
1. Competition Between European Countries
A first reason why Europe has had so many wars is the competition there has been between European countries.
Europe has almost always been made up of many small countries. This is different to many other parts of the world that were either dominated by large nation states or where no formal state existed for much of history. Europe is also comparatively small geographically compared to other regions in the world. The combination of many nations in a relatively small geographic area led to competition between states. This competition often led to war and is a key reason why the continent has had so many.
Competition between countries in Europe is often cited as a reason for the continents economic growth and why it developed faster than other parts of the world. However, European nations contesting with each other also resulted in many conflicts.
Throughout history, competition and war have dominated the relationships European countries. Only recently has Europe put competition aside and moved towards integration and cooperation. This goes against much of European history. It also shows how a reduction in competition between nations has resulted in Europe experiencing less wars.
Some examples of wars in Europe where competition between countries were a key factor include:
- First World War (1914 – 1918)
- Franco-Prussian War (1870 – 1871)
- Seven Years War (1756 – 1763)
2. The Continents Religious Divisions
A second reason why Europe has had so many wars is the religious divisions on the continent.
Europe is a majority Christian continent. However, there are a wide range of different sects of Christianity in Europe, and the rifts between different branches of Christianity have been a major cause of wars on the continent.
Eastern Europe is dominated by orthodox Christianity. There are many branches of orthodoxy and conflicts have been fought in eastern Europe between them.
In western Europe, Catholicism was the denomination of Christianity until the protestant reformation began in 1517. This split western Europe between catholic and protestant nations and led to several hundred years of wars.
Examples of European wars in which religion could be seen as a major driving force include:
- Thirty Years War (1618 – 1648)
- Bosnian Civil War (1992 – 1995)
- English Civil War (1642 – 1651)
- The Troubles (1960 – 1998)
Europe’s history of religious divisions is one of the biggest factors why the continent has had so many conflicts.
3. Europe’s History of Political Movements And Ideologies
A third reason why there have been many wars in Europe is because of the political events the continent has seen.
European history is full of major political movements and resulting conflicts. Ideologies such as Nazism, Communism and Fascism all originated in Europe. Political movements such as these have directly resulted in wars in Europe.
As well as ideological political movements in Europe, nationalist movements have also been a key cause of conflict. The idea of self-determination – a national home for a specific people, has led to many countries in Europe breaking apart and wars being fought to create new nations.
Political movements and ideologies are a key factor for why Europe has had so many wars. Alongside this, reactions, and counter-movements, or attempts to stop political movements spreading, have also been the cause of wars. As new ideas have emerged in Europe, or as countries have tried to spread their ideologues to other nations on the continent, wars have been fought against them.
Examples of European wars that have at least partly been caused by political movements and ideologies include:
- Second World War (1939 – 1945)
- Spanish Civil War (1936 – 1939)
- Greek War of Independence (1821 – 1829)
- Russian Civil War (1917 – 1923)
4. Europe’s Economic Divisions
Another reason why Europe has a history of conflict is because of the economic divisions of the continent.
Economics is a major factor in war. Countries attempt to conquer others for economic gain, internal economic factors can drive countries to war and macro-level economics can create wide-ranging changes in societies that lead to wars. Europe’s economic history has seen many events that have changed the continent, and this is a reason why there have been many wars.
Europe has historically been highly divided economically. For much of the continent’s history there has been economic divides between rich landowners and poorer social classes. This has led to many revolutions and wars across Europe.
As well as national, social, and economic divisions, Europe has historically been divided economically between different nations. Throughout the continents past some nations have performed economically better than others. This has been the root cause of wars of conquest throughout European history.
Some examples of European wars that have been caused by the continents economic divides include:
- First World War (1914 – 1918)
- Jacobite Uprising (1715)
- Russian Revolution (1917)
- French Revolution (1789 – 1799)
5. The Continents History of Dynastic Rivalries
Think of European history and many people think of kings and queens. In fact, the dynastic rivalries between European monarchies are a key reason why the continent has had so many wars.
Thorough European history, monarchs have fought against each other. For hundreds of years almost every European country has been ruled by a king or queen. A network of dynasties goes throughout European history as royal families married into each other to gain or retain control of European nations.
Many times, in Europe’s past, countries have fought wars over royal successions. Countries with weak or older monarchies were invaded by other nations in order to take control of them. Instances where a countries line of succession was disputed have also seen conflicts to install royals more favourable to different European powers.
Europe’s history of royalty resulted in several hundred years of ongoing dynastic rivalries. These rivalries were the root cause of some of Europe’s largest wars and are also a major reason why the continent has had so many conflicts in its history.
A few examples of European wars caused by dynastic rivalries include:
- War of the Roses (1455 – 1487)
- Franco-Prussian War (1870 – 1871)
- War of the Spanish Succession (1701 – 1715)
6. The Role of Empire and Conquest
European history is dominated by empires. This is a big reason why Europe has had so many wars.
The establishment of empires within Europe resulted in many conflicts. Russia and Austro-Hungry both established large European empires by conquest. France under Napoleon led a war throughout Europe establishing a vast empire across the continent. Attempts by leaders to build empires in Europe is one factor that led to many wars.
As well the establishment and expansion of empires in Europe, the collapse of European empires also resulted in many wars. The fall of the Ottoman empire, Polish-Lithuania Commonwealth and Austro-Hungarian empire all led to major wars in Europe.
Alongside the creation and fall of European empires, rivalries between European countries for empires around the world has been another reason why the continent has experienced major wars. European nations competed for colonial territory around the world and these rivalries led to wars between countries.
Example of wars in Europe caused by empires and conquest include:
- First World War (1914 – 1918)
- Irish of Independence (1919 – 1922)
- Napoleonic Wars (1803 – 1815)
- Second World War (1939 – 1945)
7. The Continents Ethnic Divisions
Europe is ethnically diverse. The continents ethnic divisions are another reason why it has experienced many wars.
There are 160 different ethnic groups in Europe. 200 languages are spoken across the continent. As a relatively small geographical area, Europe is densely populated with many different peoples. However, when relations between peoples break down wars can be the result. The divisions between different groups of people in Europe has been a major factor in why there have been many wars.
The break-up of nations along ethnic lines has also been the cause of wars in Europe. As larger nations become divided often conflicts occurred as people tried to carve out a territory of their own.
The number of different ethnic groups in Europe, combined with the continent’s history of dividing and re-dividing land between different states, are a major factor in why Europe has had so many wars.
Some examples of wars in Europe where ethnic divisions were part of the cause include:
- Crimean War (1853 – 1856)
- Kosovo War (1998 – 1999)
- Bosnian Civil War (1992 – 1995)