Introduction
World War I is considered one of the deadliest wars in history, primarily because thousands of lives were lost during the war. At the heart of the massive destruction caused by the war were technological advances that the soldiers deployed against their rivals. Cutting-edge technology that was used in the war included poisonous gas, machine guns, artillery, and tanks. These advanced weapons made it difficult for people to escape in the trenches and across the barbed wires.
Technology increased the severity of the war because more people died, while a smaller number could have died if traditional weapons had been used. Besides this, technology in World War I came into play through innovations meant to treat injuries, provide first aid, and save people from dying. This paper hypothesizes that technology increased the severity of World War 1 through advanced weapons and helped improvise technological tools to save lives.
Technology Used in World War I
Chemical Weapons and Gas Masks
Technology exacerbated World War I through the use of chemical weapons to attack and cause mass killing. During the war, both German and Russian soldiers dumped traditional sword and arrow tools for chemical weapons such as poisonous gases. The use of poisonous gases was introduced by Germans in 1915 in the Battle of Bolimov. The first poisonous gas to be used at this time was xylyl bromide, which was highly effective for a short period. Germans stopped using the gas due to very low temperatures that froze the gas and made it ineffective in killing Russian armies.
Following the successful use of xylyl bromide gas to instill fear and kill more Russian troops, the use of poisonous gases re-energized the war as Russia retaliated with the same weapon. At this point, technology heightened the war by starting a new battle where the armies competed to see who was superior in using poisonous gases. The war became fiercer, with German and Russian soldiers using chlorine gas on their opponents. The gas was sprayed on the trenches that were the hideout for the soldiers. Apart from chlorine gas, deadly phosgene gas was also used to dismiss troops from the rugged terrain in the hideouts.
Technology through chemical gases invigorated the war because the chemical gases used were poisonous. The xylyl bromide gas chlorine and phosgene caused sneezing, coughing, and choking, thus affecting the soldiers’ entire respiratory system. A fourth gas that blew up the war was mustard gas. Unlike the rest of the poisonous gases, mustard gas caused skin burns, blisters, and instant blindness. This was the ultimate chemical scare for soldiers in the war. They also caused blindness and consequent death due to the inability to act in self-defense.
In response to the fatal effects of poisonous gases used in the war, technological innovations in the form of gas masks came into being as a means of protection. Soldiers in the war began using gas masks to prevent inhalation of the gas and contact with the skin. The gases were primarily designed with fabric and charcoal that could absorb the toxic compounds in the chemical gases. The innovation of Ayrton fans emerged to combat the impact of the toxic gases deployed during the war. This served as a technological tool that provided soldiers with fresh air amidst the gas attacks. Alarm gongs also used technology to detect gas attacks in the atmosphere before the gases could reach the target. These handmade metal rods signaled the war-men to keep a distance from where poisonous gases were released. Such technological innovations helped save lives and kept the war going by retaining army men who took part in the war.
Machine Guns, Airplanes and Communication Technologies
Another technological hallmark in the war was using machine guns to shoot army men from far distances. In historical records of the war, machine guns have been acclaimed as the primary cause of the thousands of deaths recorded in the war. Traditional guns used in ancient wars were only designed to make a few shots because they were operated manually. Technology during World War I led to the invention of machine guns that were more powerful than traditional guns. Machine guns are designed to work automatically and shoot 500-1000 rounds or even to the point of exhausting the ammunition. Due to this, the weapons killed hundreds of soldiers every day during the war.
Technology fueled the war by extending the use of machine guns in airplanes to target and kill armies on land and in the air. Before this, airplanes had been in existence for only two decades. They were used purely for long-distance travel and had minimal capabilities tied to efficient travel. Technology made airplanes a key enabler of airfare as soldiers attached machine guns, pistols, and artilleries to the planes. The guns could then shoot downwards on land and in the air, and more soldiers took up the airfare route. To a large extent, this intensified the war; more people died in the skies, and hundreds of airplanes crashed after the propellers failed. Tank technologies also emerged as powerful weapons against machine guns and attacks on the trenches. The British-American caterpillars crushed the barbed wires to make way for soldiers escaping from the war.
Technology also fueled war at sea through radio communication technologies. During World War I, British scientists developed underwater communication technologies to attack German U-boats. The development of naval technologies enabled the soldiers to set explosives deep underwater. War at sea became fierce from the advances, so soldiers never left the sea. They died due to starvation and lack of personal supplies.
Lack of Advancement in Medicine
Much like chemical weapons, wounds caused by machine guns were fatal and demanded urgent medical attention. Soldiers with wounds would only survive if they had quick access to medical facilities where the wounds would be cleaned and dressed to avoid bacterial infections. Those with severe wounds had to be rushed to hospitals for surgery and treatment of internal organs. While there were innovations to protect against the effects of chemical weapons, there was no technology to protect people from machine gun wounds. Also, the lack of infrastructure made it difficult for the victims to access specialized treatment for their wounds.
At this time in history, medicine was still largely underdeveloped. The only course of treatment for the wounds was morphine. This was administered as an injection or tablet to help the wounded soldiers cope with the pain. In as much as morphine was effective, it caused grave side effects, including nausea and depression. Eventually, the soldiers succumbed to the wounds or the side effects, adding to the high number of deaths in the war.
Positive Effects
In a positive light, technological innovations were useful for self-defense against enemies. One of the defense technologies birthed during the war was tracer bullets. These were primarily used for night combat because the soldiers needed to guard themselves in the night, rest, and rejuvenate before continuing the war the next day. It had been challenging to execute night combat for a long time, but tracer bullets that emitted flammable bullets enabled the armies to keep watch. This technological innovation effectively structured the war only during the day. It also protected the armies from death at night, which was great because war was fatal at night.
Conclusion
Technology played a central role in the intensity and outcome of World War I. Technologies that redefined the war included machine guns, poisonous gases, airplanes, and underwater tools, making the fight more uncontrollable. As demonstrated, they resulted in more deaths than could have occurred in their absence.
Additionally, in World War I, technology instigated competition and animosity between superpowers to establish who could outshine the other. The competitive attitude not only caused deaths but also caused injuries and complicated medical conditions that could not be treated at the time. Generally, technology worsened the war despite the positive innovations that served in self-defense. Since then, it has become mainstream in war and cross-boundary conflict through artificial intelligence and physical weaponry.
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