Civil war

A civil war is a big fight.

It happens inside one country. People in the same land fight. They may want to change rules or take power.

These fights can be very sad. They can last for many years. Sometimes, people from other lands join in to help.

Many people have to leave their homes. These wars can also make it hard to earn money. It is important to learn how to make peace.

A civil war is a fight between groups in one country.

These groups may want to change the government. They may also want to take control of a region. Most civil wars involve large, organized groups. They can last for a long time. Since 1945, these wars have lasted over four years on average.

Many people die in these wars. Millions of people also lose their homes. Some wars can even make a country poor.

Why do civil wars start? Experts look at different reasons. Some say it is about greed. This means people want more money or goods. Others say it is about grievances. This means people feel things are unfair. One big reason is opportunity. This means it is easy for people to join a fight. For example, it is easy to take control of an oil field. It is much harder to take a clothing factory. This can lead to more fighting.

A civil war is a conflict between organized groups within the same country.

These groups often fight to take control of the government or a specific region. They might also fight to change certain government policies. Unlike a war against a different country, this is a fight between citizens of the same land. Most modern civil wars involve help from outside powers. For example, two thirds of the conflicts between 1945 and 2000 saw international intervention. These wars are usually large-scale and involve organized armed forces.

Scientists and scholars use different rules to define a civil war. Some experts say a conflict must have more than 1,000 casualties to count. Others say at least 100 people must be hurt on each side. One group called the Correlates of War uses the 1,000 casualties per year rule. This rule helps them study patterns in history. However, this rule leaves out some famous struggles. This is because some fights do not meet the exact number of casualties required by the definition.

Civil wars can be very long and have heavy costs. Since 1945, these wars have lasted an average of just over four years. This is much longer than the average of one and a half years seen before 1944. These long fights can lead to many deaths and cause millions of people to leave their homes. They can also cause a country's economy to collapse. Nations like Somalia, Burma, Uganda, and Angola had promising futures before civil wars began.

Researchers look at three main reasons why these wars start. One reason is greed, where people want to make more profit. Another is grievance, where people fight because of unfair treatment. A third reason is opportunity, which makes it easier for people to join a fight. A study by the World Bank used the Collier-Hoeffler Model to study this. They looked at many years of data from 1960 to 1999 to find these patterns.

The study found that certain things make a civil war more likely. For example, countries that export many natural resources face a higher risk. A country where these goods make up 32% of its wealth has a 22% risk of war. It is often easier to capture a gold mine than a clothing factory. On the other hand, more education can help prevent war. When more young men go to school, the chance of conflict goes down. This is because they have more to lose if they join a fight.

A civil war is a violent conflict occurring within the borders of a single country.

Unlike international wars fought between different nations, these battles occur between organized groups of citizens. These groups often fight to seize control of the central government or a specific region. They may also fight to force changes to existing government policies. While the fighting is internal, most modern civil wars involve intervention from outside powers. Research shows that about two-thirds of the 138 intrastate conflicts between 1945 and 2000 involved help from other countries.

Scholars use different rules to define exactly when a disturbance becomes a civil war. The intensity of the fighting is often a point of debate among political scientists. For example, some experts define a civil war as a conflict with more than 1,000 casualties. Others require that at least 100 casualties come from each participating side. The Correlates of War, a famous dataset used by researchers, uses a rate of 1,000 casualties per year. This specific rule means some famous struggles, like the conflict in Northern Ireland, are not included in their count.

Civil wars have changed significantly in duration and scale over time. Between 1900 and 1944, the average civil war lasted only one and a half years. Since 1945, that average has risen to just over four years. This increase in length means more wars are happening at the same time. In the first half of the 20th century, there were usually no more than five civil wars occurring simultaneously. By the end of the Cold War, that number rose to over 20 concurrent wars.

The human and economic costs of these conflicts are very high. Since 1945, civil wars have resulted in the deaths of over 25 million people. Millions more people have been forced to leave their homes and flee their countries. These wars can also cause a nation's economy to collapse entirely. Countries like Somalia, Burma, Uganda, and Angola once had promising futures. However, they were later engulfed in civil wars that damaged their development.

Researchers study three main explanations for why these wars begin: greed, grievance, and opportunity. Greed refers to individuals or groups trying to maximize their own profits. Grievance focuses on conflict caused by social or political injustice. Opportunity refers to factors that make it easier for people to organize violent movements. A major study by the World Bank used the Collier–Hoeffler Model to examine these causes. They analyzed data from 1960 to 1999 to see which factors truly predicted war.

The study found that economic factors are often more influential than social identity. For instance, a high dependence on exporting primary commodities increases the risk of conflict. A country where these goods make up 32% of its gross domestic product has a 22% risk of war. In contrast, a country with no primary commodity exports has only a 1% risk. This is likely because it is easier to capture a gold mine or an oil field than a factory. On the other hand, factors like higher male secondary school enrollment can reduce the chance of war. If young men are in school or have steady jobs, they have more to lose by joining a rebellion.

While identity can play a role, the data shows that certain social factors are less predictable than economic ones. For example, differences in religion or ethnic makeup do not always lead to war. However, ethnic dominance can be a risk factor. When one large ethnic group makes up the majority, the risk of civil war nearly doubles. Interestingly, the study found that having a diverse population of many different groups can actually decrease the chance of war, provided no single group dominates. This shows that the complex mix of money, power, and social structure determines how a nation stays at peace.