Six Underdog Insurgencies That Defeated Empires, from Haiti to Afghanistan
A study examining six insurgencies from 1791 to 1989 reveals their successes against more powerful military opponents. The Haitian Revolution (1791–1804), led by enslaved leaders Toussaint Louverture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines, resulted in the defeat of Napoleonic France, with casualties exceeding 200,000, culminating in Haiti's independence in 1804. In the Peninsular War (1807–1814), Spanish guerrillas, alongside British forces, expelled the French from the Iberian Peninsula. The Great Arab Revolt (1916–1918) involved Hashemite tribes under Hussein bin Ali and T.E. Lawrence challenging the Ottoman Empire. Yugoslav Partisans (1941–1945) grew to 650,000, overcoming Axis powers. The First Indochina War (1946–1954) ended with the Viet Minh's siege of Dien Bien Phu, leading to Vietnam's independence. The Soviet-Afghan War (1979–1989) saw the Mujahideen inflict significant damage on Soviet forces, aiding in the USSR's downfall.
Key facts
- The Haitian Revolution (1791–1804) ended with Haiti's independence after defeating Napoleonic France; over 200,000 people died.
- Spanish guerrilleros in the Peninsular War (1807–1814) numbered around 40,000 by 1812 and helped push the French out of the Iberian Peninsula by 1814.
- The Great Arab Revolt (1916–1918) used railway raids and mobile camel cavalry against the Ottoman Empire, but the secret 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement betrayed promises of an independent Arab kingdom.
- Yugoslav Partisans under Josip Broz Tito grew to over 650,000 by 1945 and survived Operation Rösselsprung in Drvar in May 1944.
- The Viet Minh defeated a French force of 15,000 at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, leading to French withdrawal from Vietnam.
- The Soviet-Afghan War (1979–1989) resulted in around one million deaths and contributed to the USSR's collapse in 1991.
- The Haitian Revolution began in August 1791 at a ceremony at Bois Caïman led by Dutty Boukman and Cécile Fatiman.
- The Viet Minh moved heavy artillery into the mountains around Dien Bien Phu using ropes, pulleys, and reinforced push-bikes.
Entities
Artists
- Toussaint Louverture
- Jean-Jacques Dessalines
- Dutty Boukman
- Cécile Fatiman
- Napoleon Bonaparte
- Duke of Wellington
- Hussein bin Ali
- T.E. Lawrence
- Josip Broz Tito
- Ho Chi Minh
- Vo Nguyen Giap
- Charles IV of Spain
- Ferdinand VII
- Joseph Bonaparte
- Juan Martín Díez
- Francisco de Goya
- Antoine Dalmas
- Stuart Brown
Institutions
- Napoleonic France
- French Empire
- Ottoman Empire
- Axis Powers
- Soviet Union
- British Navy
- Yugoslav Communist Party
- Chetniks
- Viet Minh
- League for Independence of Vietnam
- Mujahideen
- Taliban
- NATO
- National Museum of African American History & Culture
- Museo del Prado
- National Army Museum, London
- US Library of Congress
- Online Tank Museum
- CIA Museum Art Collection
- Archive.org
- Wikimedia Commons
- The History Avenue
- Southeast Asia Globe
- AP Photo
- Yousuf Karsh
- People's Republic of China
- Central Intelligence Agency
- US State Department
Locations
- Haiti
- Hispaniola
- Saint-Domingue
- Port-au-Prince
- Cap-Français
- Gonaïves
- Spain
- Madrid
- Portugal
- Iberian Peninsula
- France
- Paris
- Mecca
- Ta'if
- Hejaz
- Aqaba
- Syria
- Yemen
- Yugoslavia
- Serbia
- Bosnia
- Croatia
- Drvar
- Neretva River
- Vietnam
- Indochina
- Dien Bien Phu
- Geneva
- North Vietnam
- South Vietnam
- Afghanistan
- Kabul
- Pakistan
- Iran
- Soviet Union
- Eastern Europe
- Baltic
- Egypt
- Arabian Peninsula
- Medina
- Mashriq
- United States
- United Kingdom
- Bulgaria
- Hungary
- Germany
- Italy
- Japan