A bloodless war is generally a small conflict, crisis, or dispute between rival groups that is resolved without human death or injury, although the threat of violence usually seems very likely at the time. Intentional property damage, however, may still occur. Typically, these events are recorded in history as
wars even though the term "war" generally implies violence. Therefore, the term "bloodless war" is somewhat of an
oxymoron
An oxymoron (usual plural oxymorons, more rarely oxymora) is a figure of speech that juxtaposes concepts with opposing meanings within a word or phrase that creates an ostensible self-contradiction. An oxymoron can be used as a rhetorical devi ...
. Nevertheless, there have been many conflicts throughout history labeled as such.
Bloodless wars
The following is a list of bloodless wars:
Incorrectly categorized wars
The following wars are often labelled incorrectly as bloodless wars:
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Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
: unknown number of killed
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Cod Wars
The Cod Wars ( is, Þorskastríðin; also known as , ; german: Kabeljaukriege) were a series of 20th-century confrontations between the United Kingdom (with aid from West Germany) and Iceland about fishing rights in the North Atlantic. Each o ...
: one man killed, one man wounded
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Toledo War: one man wounded
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Battle of Athens (1946)
The Battle of Athens (sometimes called the McMinn County War) was a rebellion led by citizens in Athens and Etowah, Tennessee, United States, against the local government in August 1946. The citizens, including some World War II veterans ...
: several wounded
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Conquest of New Netherland
The conquest of New Netherland occurred in 1664 as an English expedition led by Richard Nicolls that arrived in New York Harbor effected a peaceful capture of New Amsterdam, and the Articles of Surrender of New Netherland were agreed. The conquest ...
: three killed
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Invasion of the Gambia: initial invasion was bloodless, first casualties were reported during the occupation and stabilization period
See also
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Non-violent revolution
A nonviolent revolution is a revolution conducted primarily by unarmed civilians using tactics of civil resistance, including various forms of nonviolent protest, to bring about the departure of governments seen as entrenched and authoritari ...
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Frozen conflict
References
Notes
Sources
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* {{cite journal, last1=Krauthammer, first1=Charles, title=The Short, Unhappy Life of Humanitarian War, jstor=42897194, journal=The National Interest, pages=5–8, date=1999, issue=57
Wars by type
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