Wars where the "wrong side" won

[Spino]

- Any and all wars where the Huns, their offshoots or their vassals were victorious. Yeah, I'm sure Asian and European civilization was much better off after these guys rolled through town...

- Any and all wars where the Mongols, their offshoots or their vassals were victorious. Again, what on Earth would we have done without the great contribution from those wacky boys from the steppes!
(Anxiously awaiting the onslaught from the Org's Mongolphiles )

- Peloponnesian War - Sparta may have been the saviour of Greek and Western civilization in the preceding war with Persia but it really should have lost this war to Athens and its allies. It wasn't until the aftermath of the war that Sparta proved just how inept it was at doing anything other than waging war, running a modest agrarian based economy and creating the best heavy infantry in the world. One can make a strong argument that Athens with its democracy, institutions, infrastructure and massive naval and trade fleets was supremely qualified to carry the mantle of Greek civilization on its shoulders and spread its culture and advances to the rest of the western world.