20th Century - Bloodiest or most peaceful in history?

Ron Sider, on December 19, 2007, said that the 20th century was the bloodiest in human history.

The 20th century was the bloodiest in human history. In Humanity: A Moral History of the 20th Century, Jonathan Glover estimates that 86,000,000 people died in wars fought from 1900 to 1989. That means 2,500 people every day, or 100 people every hour, for 90 years.

In addition to those killed in war, government-sponsored genocide and mass murder killed approximately 120,000,000 people in the 20th century—perhaps more than 80,000,000 in the two Communist countries of China and the Soviet Union alone, according to R. J. Rummel's Statistics of Democide.

I've heard Tony Campolo and others quote this from time to time, and was willing to believe it. I had no reason to question it. Sounded pretty logical.

I also believe that things are going to get worse and worse and human history goes on (i.e. the Biblical book of Revelation), rather than better and better until we reach utopia.

However, as I have recently been enjoying several talks from the TED conference podcast, I've been exposed to many new, fun, and intriguing ideas in many subject areas.

This TED talk, given by Steven Pinker, makes one wonder, or at least gives one some historical perspective and some additional things to consider. The comment thread at the bottom of the link above has an interesting dialogue...

So, was the 20th Century the bloodiest or the most peaceful in human history? I don't know. What I do know is that this sinful, fallen world is a mess. It always has been, even since the Fall of Humanity.