Which Political Party Started The Most Wars? (12 Startling Finds)

Which Political Party Started The Most Wars

Which political party started the most wars? 

In this article, you’ll learn about:

  • which party started the most wars
  • the wars that they started
  • who the president was that started those wars

So, read on. 

Table of Contents

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Which Political Party Started The Most Wars?

Here is a list of which political parties have started the most wars:

  • Democratic Party: 7 wars
  • Republican Party: 5 wars
  • Whig Party: 1 war

The Democratic Party has started the most wars. 

The Democratic Party has started a total of 7 wars. 

The wars that the Democratic Party has started includes:

  • the War of 1812
  • the Mexican-American War
  • the Spanish-American War
  • World War I
  • World War II
  • the Korean War
  • the Vietnam War

The Republican Party has started a total of 5 wars. 

The wars that the Republican Party has started includes:

  • American Civil War
  • the Gulf War
  • the War in Afghanistan
  • the Iraq War
  • the War on Terror

It is important to note that the decision to go to war is a complex one. 

It cannot get attributed to the political party in power. 

Many factors contribute to the decision to go to war, such as:

  • geopolitical considerations
  • economic interests
  • national security concerns
WarYearsPolitical PartyPresident in Office
American Revolution1775-1783No Political PartyGeorge Washington
War of 18121812-1815DemocratsJames Madison
Mexican-American War1846-1848DemocratsJames K. Polk
American Civil War1861-1865RepublicansAbraham Lincoln
Spanish-American War1898DemocratsWilliam McKinley
World War I1914-1918DemocratsWoodrow Wilson
World War II1939-1945DemocratsFranklin D. Roosevelt
Korean War1950-1953DemocratsHarry S. Truman
Vietnam War1955-1975DemocratsDwight D. Eisenhower
Gulf War1990-1991RepublicansGeorge H. W. Bush
War in Afghanistan2001-PresentRepublicansGeorge W. Bush
Iraq War2003-2011RepublicansGeorge W. Bush
War on Terror2001-PresentRepublicansGeorge W. Bush

The Political Parties That Started Each War

Here is a description of the political parties that started more recent wars. 

The Korean War Was Started By Democratics

The Korean War began in 1950 when North Korean forces crossed into South Korea. 

At the time, Democrat Harry S. Truman was President of the United States. 

The Democratic-controlled Congress had passed a resolution. 

It authorized the President to use military force to defend South Korea. 

Truman’s commitment to troops to the war was a major factor in starting the war. 

The Democrats were responsible for starting the Korean War.

Read More: How Big Is The US Military?

The Vietnam War Was Started By Democratics

The Vietnam War got started by the Democratic Party under President Kennedy. 

In 1961, Kennedy increased the number of US military advisers in Vietnam. 

In 1965, he ordered the deployment of US ground troops

The Kennedy administration also authorized the use of US air power in Vietnam. 

This began in 1965 and continued under his successors.

The Democratic Party was largely responsible for initiating the Vietnam War.

The Gulf War Was Started By Republicans

The Gulf War got started by the Republican Party under President Bush. 

This was following the August 2nd, 1990 invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. 

President Bush had been in office for less than a year when Iraq invaded Kuwait. 

He responded with an international coalition to go to war. 

Bush also called for:

The War in Afghanistan Was Started By Republicans

The War in Afghanistan was initiated by the Bush administration. 

This happened in 2001 in response to the September 11th terrorist attacks. 

At the time, the US was under the administration of Republican President Bush. 

He is the one who ordered the invasion of Afghanistan. 

The Republican-led Congress also passed the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists

This authorized the President to use: 

"all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001". 

This legislation was the legal basis for the War in Afghanistan. 

So, the War in Afghanistan got started by Republicans.

The Iraq War Was Started By Republicans

The Iraq War got started by the Republican, Bush administration. 

The Bush administration believed that:

  • Iraq had weapons of mass destruction
  • regime change in Iraq was necessary to protect the US

The decision to go to war got supported by the Republican-controlled Congress. 

The Bush administration built a coalition of international support for the war. 

And many Republican politicians supported the decision.

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