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Is covid-19 the biggest world event since WW2?

by rapsey 7y ago

alex_duf 7y ago
Time will tell
woahitsraj 7y ago
Certainly up there. It's impossible to say at this point. We will only know with the benefit of years of hindsight
kijin 7y ago
Depends on how you measure bigness. It could very well be the biggest world event since WW2 in terms of the number of ordinary people whose daily routines are directly affected.
9nGQluzmnq3M 7y ago
Depends how you measure and what you call a "world event". * Mao Zedong killed 40 to 80 million people during his rule after WW2, but "only" in China. * 2-5 million died in the Second Congo Civil War between 1998-2003, but to a first approximation only Congo and its immediate neighbors even noticed. * The US response to 9/11 killed around 500,000 people directly (war violence) and a lot more indirectly (health, economy, etc). The direct death toll of COVID-19 is unlikely to get anywhere close to this, but the indirect economic impact will clearly be global and massive.
- rapsey 7y ago
  I would measure it in terms of daily life being completely altered in most regions of the world and persisting after the event (which is yet to be determined but pretty much impossible to think it wont).
- marvin 7y ago
  2-5 million dead seems perfectly plausible at this point. But remember we're not only talking about deaths, we're also talking about disruptions in society. IMHO, we're already well into reorganization to a war economy in many countries, USA included. Meaning, truly exceptional circumstances where the status quo is suspended and different, urgent priorities are taken. Also, at this rate I wouldn't be surprised if Trump tries to postpone the elections in November.
- mcv 7y ago
  Those were certainly big events, but they were mostly local. COVID-19 is more global than anything I can think of. Social life is getting shut down in east Asia, India, Europe and the US. I'm not sure what South America, Africa and the Middle East are doing, but COVID-19 will hit them too. Even if the death toll is going to me more limited than other big events (we don't know that, though), it is absolutely massive and truly global. As for the potential death toll, if half the world gets it and 2% of them die, we're looking at a 80 million death count.
- scotty79 7y ago
  Covid could kill 40 million people globally in just the first wave of infections and not counting deaths caused by collateral damage. Just multiply half of the world population by mortality rate of 1%.
- cbHXBY1D 7y ago
  > Mao Zedong killed 40 to 80 million people during his rule after WW2, but "only" in China. 40 to 80 million is absurdly large and just as fictitious as the numbers pushed in the "black book of communism". This is a good article which dissects those numbers: https://monthlyreview.org/commentary/did-mao-really-kill-millions-in-the-great-leap-forward/ https://monthlyreview.org/commentary/did-mao-really-kill-mil...
redis_mlc 7y ago
Well, I would say no, since there were multiple famines since then. 1) Post-WW2, most of the Eastern Hemisphere experienced famine and underemployment for a decade. (Britain had food ration coupons for 9 years afterwards.) 2) The Cold War was pretty scary and greatly impoverished the Eastern Bloc, Cuba, N. Vietnam and N. Korea. China had the Great Famine from 1959 - 1961, killing "tens of millions." 4) Polio was a scourge until vaccines were developed: 2 to 5 percent of children and up to 15 to 30 percent of adults die 5) USA has a serious crack and meth epidemic, and Russia lost a lot of men to vodka poisoning. We'll see about Covid-19, but the next famine will dwarf it by 10x or 20x in total fatalities.
- rapsey 7y ago
  Sounds cruel but famines are localised suffering that have little effect on the rest of the world. Of course if you measure deaths it is not anywhere close to anything. If you measure global life impact it is surpassing everything since ww2.
  - redis_mlc 7y ago
    I suggest you read my comment again. Famine due to global warfare is not localized, and each one listed had tens of millions of fatalities.
- Dylan16807 7y ago
  Polio, drugs, and >40 years of Cold War fail the "event" part of "world event" The Great Famine fails the "world" part. Your first item is sort of arguable, but I'd say it's half not an event, and half not independent enough of WW2 to count.
OskarS 7y ago
No, but "since the end of the cold war", probably.
username90 7y ago
I think the end of Soviet was bigger. This is probably the biggest thing since then.
titzer 7y ago
Honestly, I think the Moon Landing was a bigger deal for humanity. But only because it was the deepest spike of scientific exploration that we ever had, and probably the single most dangerous thing humans have ever done. But you could shrug that off, it didn't affect you. This is probably the worst event since WW2, IMHO, yes. It is going to be as bad as the 1918 flu. Its effects will be more far-reaching. Unlike WW2, this will affect every single corner of the globe. This will change society forever.
aaron695 7y ago
HIV, I doubt cov-19 will be bigger, but possible if it circles. Economic deaths from both are huge. But everyone seems to have forgotten HIV, which says a bit.

Is covid-19 the biggest world event since WW2?

by rapsey 7y ago

Is covid-19 the biggest world event since WW2?

alex_duf 7y ago

Time will tell

woahitsraj 7y ago

Certainly up there. It's impossible to say at this point. We will only know with the benefit of years of hindsight

kijin 7y ago

Depends on how you measure bigness. It could very well be the biggest world event since WW2 in terms of the number of ordinary people whose daily routines are directly affected.

9nGQluzmnq3M 7y ago

Depends how you measure and what you call a "world event". * Mao Zedong killed 40 to 80 million people during his rule after WW2, but "only" in China. * 2-5 million died in the Second Congo Civil War between 1998-2003, but to a first approximation only Congo and its immediate neighbors even noticed. * The US response to 9/11 killed around 500,000 people directly (war violence) and a lot more indirectly (health, economy, etc). The direct death toll of COVID-19 is unlikely to get anywhere close to this, but the indirect economic impact will clearly be global and massive.

rapsey 7y ago
I would measure it in terms of daily life being completely altered in most regions of the world and persisting after the event (which is yet to be determined but pretty much impossible to think it wont).
marvin 7y ago
2-5 million dead seems perfectly plausible at this point. But remember we're not only talking about deaths, we're also talking about disruptions in society. IMHO, we're already well into reorganization to a war economy in many countries, USA included. Meaning, truly exceptional circumstances where the status quo is suspended and different, urgent priorities are taken. Also, at this rate I wouldn't be surprised if Trump tries to postpone the elections in November.
mcv 7y ago
Those were certainly big events, but they were mostly local. COVID-19 is more global than anything I can think of. Social life is getting shut down in east Asia, India, Europe and the US. I'm not sure what South America, Africa and the Middle East are doing, but COVID-19 will hit them too. Even if the death toll is going to me more limited than other big events (we don't know that, though), it is absolutely massive and truly global. As for the potential death toll, if half the world gets it and 2% of them die, we're looking at a 80 million death count.
scotty79 7y ago
Covid could kill 40 million people globally in just the first wave of infections and not counting deaths caused by collateral damage. Just multiply half of the world population by mortality rate of 1%.
cbHXBY1D 7y ago
> Mao Zedong killed 40 to 80 million people during his rule after WW2, but "only" in China. 40 to 80 million is absurdly large and just as fictitious as the numbers pushed in the "black book of communism". This is a good article which dissects those numbers: https://monthlyreview.org/commentary/did-mao-really-kill-millions-in-the-great-leap-forward/ https://monthlyreview.org/commentary/did-mao-really-kill-mil...

redis_mlc 7y ago

Well, I would say no, since there were multiple famines since then. 1) Post-WW2, most of the Eastern Hemisphere experienced famine and underemployment for a decade. (Britain had food ration coupons for 9 years afterwards.) 2) The Cold War was pretty scary and greatly impoverished the Eastern Bloc, Cuba, N. Vietnam and N. Korea. China had the Great Famine from 1959 - 1961, killing "tens of millions." 4) Polio was a scourge until vaccines were developed: 2 to 5 percent of children and up to 15 to 30 percent of adults die 5) USA has a serious crack and meth epidemic, and Russia lost a lot of men to vodka poisoning. We'll see about Covid-19, but the next famine will dwarf it by 10x or 20x in total fatalities.

rapsey 7y ago
Sounds cruel but famines are localised suffering that have little effect on the rest of the world. Of course if you measure deaths it is not anywhere close to anything. If you measure global life impact it is surpassing everything since ww2.
- redis_mlc 7y ago
  I suggest you read my comment again. Famine due to global warfare is not localized, and each one listed had tens of millions of fatalities.
Dylan16807 7y ago
Polio, drugs, and >40 years of Cold War fail the "event" part of "world event" The Great Famine fails the "world" part. Your first item is sort of arguable, but I'd say it's half not an event, and half not independent enough of WW2 to count.

OskarS 7y ago

No, but "since the end of the cold war", probably.

username90 7y ago

I think the end of Soviet was bigger. This is probably the biggest thing since then.

titzer 7y ago

Honestly, I think the Moon Landing was a bigger deal for humanity. But only because it was the deepest spike of scientific exploration that we ever had, and probably the single most dangerous thing humans have ever done. But you could shrug that off, it didn't affect you. This is probably the worst event since WW2, IMHO, yes. It is going to be as bad as the 1918 flu. Its effects will be more far-reaching. Unlike WW2, this will affect every single corner of the globe. This will change society forever.

aaron695 7y ago

HIV, I doubt cov-19 will be bigger, but possible if it circles. Economic deaths from both are huge. But everyone seems to have forgotten HIV, which says a bit.