Almost all countries have a history of war, bloodshed and just plain bad luck, but there are some countries with histories that qualify them to compete for the dubious title of the ‘unluckiest country of all time.’ Here we look at two countries that could arguably claim the top spot.
Poland – Poland’s string of bad luck began in 1655 when an invasion by Sweden reduced its population from 10 million to 6 million. The following years involved Poland being repeatedly divided, conquered and even reduced to nothing for 123 years. Russia and Prussia both did their best to eradicate Polish culture and 4 million Poles immigrated to the United States in the 1890s. Polish soldiers serving opposing countries were forced to fight each other in WW1, and later thousands of the population were massacred by both Hitler and Stalin. The capital city of Warsaw was completely destroyed in 1944 and in 2010 a horrific plane crash killed the president and many other vitally important Polish figures.
Haiti – Haiti began as a successful slave revolt, but immediately spiraled into debt when they were forced to take out high interest loans in 1825 to have their sovereignty recognised by France. This debt wasn’t repaid until 1947. A string of cruel dictatorships followed, with a feudal system that caused widespread poverty. Meanwhile terrible earthquakes killed thousands of people and reduced the cities to rubble. In 1911 a revolution sent the country headfirst into disorder and violence. Presidents were assassinated one after the other and the reign of “Papa Doc” Duvalier has gone down in history as one of the most corrupt of modern time. He plundered the country, driving his people into poverty as AIDS tore through the population. To this day Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.
Are there any countries you believe to be the ‘unluckiest of all time?’ Leave your opinions below.