Claire Anderson
Katie Schmidt
History
11/22/13
The Lasting Impact of WWI Technology Technologies based on ideas from the First World War have changed the way countries defend and attack during wartime through the mechanization of warfare, chemical warfare, and war transportation. WWI had many firsts. It was the first fought in trenches and the first where Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was recognized widely in the medical field. It also changed the view of war from a “public” language to a “private” one. This means that before the war occurred, battles were generally thought of as great and glorious. Many believed it was an honor to die for one’s country. WWI changed this perspective to one where war is thought of in a more fearful way. Soldiers started to have this change of view because of the new advancements in proficient killing and war technology. WWI was also the first mechanized war. Long-range artillery was newly used. A soldier
…show more content…
Armies started to use gas in WWI. Two of the most common gases were chlorine and mustard. Many were killed using these gases. Chemical weapons were extremely effective during WWI. By the end of WWI, 1,250,000 gas casualties occurred. Of these, 91,000 were fatalities. Chemical technology continued to be used in WWII, which killed even more. It killed so many people that chemical war was banned and considered inhumane. In 1968, the Chemical Warfare Convention occurred, banning the use of gas and stockpiling chemical weapons. Even though they were banned, the early ideas of gas technology and chemical warfare were advanced and were recently used in the Middle East. Chemical weapons were used by the Syrian government against the Syrian population. This presents another example of the impact of WWI technology on modern times. Despite being widely recognized as horrific, efficient chemical weapons remain a temptation to some governments
Poison Gas/Chemical Warfare usage, while not harming physical structures preventing the collateral damage of homes and buildings, causes a high casualty rate in all living things. It is indescriminate and robs life equally be they related or not to a target of military or strategic importance. Gas usage has been widely considered uncivilized, but the French resorted to its usage in August, 1914 during the first World War in an attempt to rout the Germans. Unfortunately, the Germans were the first to give gas warfare serious development and it became used extensively before the war was over. On the battlefield it prooved effective in eliminating hostile threats in an inhumane way, but this does not make it morally acceptable. In more recent times ISIS has been reported to using Poison Gas in Syria against both military and civilians in an indescriminate manner. This sort of attack ignores international laws as well as inhumanely cause widespread harm. In this day and age, this sort of attack is unnecessary and is why it was outlawed in the first place even back during the first World War.
The nations of the Entente (Britain, France, and Russia) sought the new technology as well. A German press report found that the French used chemical weapons at Ypres (Document 5). The technology of poison gas, though ultimately ineffectual in swaying the war to one side’s favor, showed the changing landscape of military technology in the First World War. A fundamental part of modern warfare is the use of “armor” or vehicles protected from conventional small-arms and small-artillery fire, such as tanks. The first widespread and successful use of tanks was seen in WWI.
World War I was a ghastly experience for the soldiers due to what they experienced during the war. Many of the Soldiers that were drafted in the war were young and fresh out of high-school. These young soldiers left their home, away from family and friends, to fight a war not knowing if they were going to return home. These young soldiers hardly had any training before being forced to fight a war and many had lost their lives. These young soldiers were finding themselves losing their youth and innocence during the war. For those who returned from the war they came back a different person. While the outside world was living carefree lives; these soldiers were living in monstrous horror.
While the soldiers were on the front-line, they experienced individually and collectively the brutalities of war, which either damaged them physically, mentally or both. If something of that sort was to occur, the best thing that the soldiers could do was to try their best to cope with what they had to deal with, and they did such in many different ways. Soldiers were affected by the devastation and fear of artillery, as they were either killed or hurt as they were bombarded. If a solider encountered a shell explosion, it resulted in lost limbs, shell shock, and even death. Soldiers were also positively affected by the war as it developed them as experienced war veterans.
World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which took place primarily in Europe from 1914 to 1918.[2] Over 40 million casualties resulted, including approximately 20 million military and civilian deaths.[3] Over 60 million European soldiers were mobilized from 1914 1918.[4] The immediate cause of the war was the June 28, 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by Gavril Principe, a Bosnian Serb citizen of Austria-Hungary and member of the Black Hand. The retaliation by Austria-Hungary against Serbia activated a series of alliances that set off a chain reaction of war declarations. Within a month, much of Europe was
William T Sherman, a union General during the American civil war,is quoted as saying “It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry allowed for more blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hell”. A Timeless saying, that reflects the toll of war. He describes the trauma that the War inflicted on him. WW1 was certainly no exception in regards to it’s cost. Trench conditions were severely damaging to the psychological well being of alliance and entente soldiers alike. Soldiers could not predict if they would be the next man to die, even while safe in the trenches.Some soldiers decided to walk into enemy fire rather than continue to serve. Many of the Soldiers relied heavily on
Lots of new technologies were created during World War I. All of these objects had a significant part in the war. Some inventions that were created during World War I were the tank, fighter plane, poisonous gas, and field bandages. The new technologies caused many casualties, but also helped save lives.
The tactics used in World War I were radically different than that of previous wars. The majority of the war was fought in the trenches, and the war itself seemed to have no end. Due to this, the psychological impact of the war was unlike anything that had been seen before. During the early days of the war, the soldiers, on both sides, seemed to lack the dedication that would have been necessary to exterminate their enemy. However, as the war progressed, the desire to avenge their fallen comrades overcame their ethics and they began to kill their enemy indiscriminately. Surviving soldiers experienced a phenomenon that was, at that time, referred to as shell shock. Today we refer to this phenomenon as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. At this time, this psychological condition was misunderstood and the doctors lacked the training necessary to effectively treat this condition.
One of the new weapons used in WWI was poison gas. Poison gas was first used by the french in 1914, they used them to fight against the germans. After the french the germans started to study it and we the first to use it in a big scale. They used chlorine gas caused irritation and aggressive sneezing. There are many types of poisonous gas like chlorine gas, phosgene (causes violent coughing, choking and eventually death), and Mustard gas (nearly odorless chemical that causes internal and external blisters for hours). The total amount of casualties for poison gases are 1,240,853 people and total deaths are 91,198 people.
Foremost, it is imperative to note that many soldiers fighting in WWI were around the age of 20 if not younger. This is crucial when the fact that many studies have shown the human brain does not fully develop until the age of 25 is considered. This means that many of the soldiers were still immature and gravely unprepared for the horrors of war. Being thrown into the war requires them to mature quickly and leave their youth behind. Remarque depicts this in his piece where he states, “We are youth not youth any longer…The first bomb, the first explosion, burst in our hearts. We are cut off from activity, from striving, from progress. We believe in such things no longer, we believe in war” (Remarque 46). Nonetheless, the only thing they believed in betrayed them in the end. With the innovation of new forms of weaponry in warfare such as mustard gas, tanks, planes, machine guns, etc. and
WWI affected many soldiers’ lives, it not only affected them physically but mentally as well. The war completely changed their mindsets, from being joyful, caring, and full of hopes and dreams to these men that no longer see war as something that gives them pride, glory, and grace, but something that has brought them terror, hopelessness, and made them insensitive to things that use to bring them happiness. Warfare pressured them to the point where they had to change in order to survive. Soldiers wouldn’t care if they saw one of their closest friends dying in front of them, but instead they’ll care about how much food they’re eating and if it is enough for each one of them, because all they care about is surviving and their survival methods. In All Quiet on the Western Front Remarque uses Paul
Yet, the biggest impacts trench warfare had on future wars was mental impacts on soldiers, and further weapon development. World War I saw the first case of what is now known today as Post Traumatic Stress
The technology of World War II, which lasted from 1939 to 1945, was a big part of the determination of the outcome of the war. Much of the technology was developed during the interwar years. Some of it was developed because of failure and hindrance in war progression, obviously because of inefficient technology. Still some was in the beginning stages of development as the war ended. Though earlier war greatly utilized science, mathematics, and innovation, World War II had the largest impact on the innovation in technology of the current lives of Americans. Furthermore, no war, preceeding or succeeding, was as profoundly affected by science, mathematics, and technology as World War II. Science and technology have always made
World War I, also known as the First World War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from July of 1914 to November of 1918. In the war, technology was just beginning to advance enough to have a considerable effect on the war. The technology developed for World War 1 was mainly offensive and this caused the war to be battled in trenches. Key technological developments include but are not limited to-the machine gun, poison gas and the creation of tanks. These innovations with new advancements led to, on both sides, a war that no one had yet to see earning it the name The Great War.
Frist of all, in the Second Battle of Ypres, the Germans introduced the first use of poisonous gas. When poison gas first introduced it was a popular weapon choice and would be the weapon to change the outcome of the war. The Germans surprisingly attack the Allies, where the used lethal chloride gas against them. The gas was deadly and killed over one thousand soldiers. (1) It also allowed a significant advanced for the Germans in the war. The gas usage continued to grow throughout the war. In the end, many Allied countries started chemical weapons research. Gas warfare became common but effective actions were used to protect the troops. After World War 1, poison was use for a while but in today’s war it is no longer allowed. Instead of poisonous gas, chemical warfare is used. Chemical weapons come in a variety of forms and are used for several different techniques.