Top 10 Most Controversial Moments in Recent World History

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re discussing some of the most historically polarising events from the past decade.

#10: Roe v. Wade Overturned

In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide. They decided it would be unconstitutional if they didn’t protect a woman’s right to choose, a landmark moment for individual rights. Tragically, in 2022, the rule was overturned, which felt like a dangerous rollback of personal freedom. Abortion is one of the most divisive issues in America, often tied to religion and a person’s control over their body. Despite the overturning, polls have shown Americans consistently support legal abortion. When the law was overturned, one study showed 61% of people supported its legalisation, with only 37% opposing it.

#9: Brexit

In 2016, the UK held a referendum on remaining within the EU. It wasn’t legally binding; it was essentially an opinion poll. When the results came in, 51.9% of people had voted to leave. Even though they didn’t have to leave, the UK Parliament became dead set on the idea. 4 years later, it finally became a reality. As of 2025, only 30% of Britons think it was a good idea, with 55% saying it was bad. Only 20% of the people who voted to leave don’t regret it. Since the decision, the UK has experienced serious economic hardship. It turns out, leaving the largest trade union in the world has major consequences.

#8: The Trump Era: Unfiltered, Unprecedented

Whether you love or hate Trump, you can’t deny he’s extremely controversial. When he first announced he was running for president, a lot of people dismissed it as a joke. Well, they’re not laughing now that he’s been elected twice. During his first presidency, he enacted a bunch of divisive laws, like a travel ban on Muslims. We’re still early into his second presidency, but it’s already been much more extreme. One of his earliest decisions was to instigate a trade war between America and China. In 2025, the No Kings protests started, with huge concern that he wanted to become a dictator. His ties to Putin and Kim Jong-Un don’t help, alongside him getting caught on mic saying he wants to be like Kim.

#7: Backlash & Counter-Movements of George Floyd’s Murder

In 2020, a white police officer murdered George Perry Floyd Jr., an African-American, in Minneapolis. They killed him because they thought he’d used a fake $20 bill. It was a massive tragedy, but the bigger tragedy was that it wasn’t a one-off event. People of color are at a much higher risk of police brutality in America. It triggered a huge backlash globally, with millions protesting, calling for reform of the oppressive police. This was called the Black Lives Matter movement, but it controversially had tons of opponents. Many criticized the opponents, claiming their views were rooted in racial prejudice.

#6: The Fall of Afghanistan & The Taliban’s Return

There had been a war in Afghanistan lasting from 2001 all the way until 2021. It was kick-started by an American-led coalition, which established an Islamic Republic in 2004. It fell to the Taliban in 2021 when they captured the capital, Kabul. Since then, the Taliban have severely abused human rights in the region. Women are extremely abused, unable to go to school or get a job. The invasion is a contender for being the worst foreign policy disaster of the century. After two decades of fighting and immeasurable suffering, many question if the invasion achieved anything lasting.

#5: January 6th

The United States of America was founded on the principles of democracy. Well, in 2021, after Trump lost the election, thousands of his supporters decided they were unhappy with democracy. They wanted to overturn the election results, to keep Trump in power, falsely claiming Biden had won fraudulently. This motivated his fans to storm the United States Capitol building. They were unsuccessful at getting Trump re-elected, but still caused tons of mayhem. It caused multiple deaths, an unknown number of injuries, and resulted in hundreds of convictions. Unfortunately, on January 20, 2025, Trump pardoned the majority of those responsible.

#4: China’s Treatment of the Uyghurs

The largest surveillance state in the world is easily China. One of their most prominent tactics for suppressing dissent includes the Great Firewall, which lets them easily censor the internet. One of the most censored topics is their abhorrent mistreatment of the Uyghurs. They’re a Turkic ethnic group in China’s Xinjiang province. They’re banned from practicing their religions, and many are being forcibly relocated to labor camps. It’s disgusting and has caused huge international outrage. Tragically, China’s censorship means many Chinese people are entirely unaware of it. Additionally, even if they wanted to protest, they could be punished harshly.

#3: COVID-19 Pandemic Misinformation

Anyone who isn’t a young child will remember the difficulties of living through the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the biggest struggles was the overwhelming quantity of misinformation being spread. When vaccines rolled out, there were tons of opponents, with many believing it would do more harm than good. This is wildly untrue, but social media made it spread like wildfire. Even Donald Trump got involved, encouraging people to try injecting bleach into their veins. Furthermore, the pandemic coincided with the rollout of 5G, which led to the theory that it spread the virus. Such a belief would be hilarious if there weren’t so many people who earnestly believed it.

#2: Russia’s Invasions of Crimea & Ukraine

Historically, whoever controls Sevastopol in Crimea controls access to the Black Sea. This has caused it to become a target of Russian expansionism for centuries. It was first annexed by Russia in 1783 by Catherine the Great, and was officially ceded to Ukraine in 1954. In 2014, Putin decided he wanted to take it back. In 2022, he went a step further and decided to try fully invading Ukraine. He claimed it was to “de-Nazify” Ukraine, which is largely considered propaganda. There’s been intense international backlash, and it’s made the rest of Europe fearful of what Putin plans after the invasion. The front line has barely moved in 2 years, so it’s unclear who will come out on top.

#1: Israel-Hamas War

By 1947, Palestine was governed by Britain. That same year, the UN decided to partition the region into two states, Israel and Palestine, one Jewish, one Arab. In 1948, Britain left, and the region has been in turmoil since. According to Amnesty International, Israel maintains an apartheid regime, where Palestinians are treated as less than Israelis. After being backed into a corner by Israel for decades, the organisation Hamas rose to prominence, and its military division retaliated brutally. After the brutal October 7th attacks, a full-blown war broke out. Countries like South Africa have instead labelled it a genocide, and now the Gaza Strip has been almost entirely reduced to rubble. Words aren’t capable of summarising how tragic the situation is, which has caused overwhelming suffering.

What do you think was the most contentious geopolitical event of the past decade? Let us know in the comments below!