Wars have been around for centuries. A typical battle was fought on land. The infantry would line up and fire at the advancing enemy. World War I was first called "the Great War" because of the number of lives lost (Coetzee 11). There were approximately nine million deaths over the course of the four years the war lasted (11). World War I began because of the assassination of "Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne" (17). Tensions were high and war seemed the only solution (17). The alliances in Europe were well formed by the time 1914 arrived (17). "The Central Powers" were "Germany and Austria-Hungary" (Westwell 8). "The Triple Entente" were "Britain, France, and Russia" (8). All of the countries and citizens believed in the cause of the war from the very beginning (9). That enthusiasm would quickly change once the introduction of new weapons and strategies were revealed (9). Every country involved was seeking ways to improve on the resources they needed to fight, and hopefully win the war. None of the countries involved wanted the other side to have a military advantage over the other (7). World War I had technological inventions such as machine guns, poison gas, tanks and submarines, which changed the strategy of war. The outcome of these inventions resulted in more death and destruction than previous wars.
Many have tried to improve the rapid firing power of guns throughout history (Bull 162). The first working machine gun was invented by "Hiram Maxim in the late nineteenth century" (163). World War I would be the place where the technologically advanced weapon would prove just how destructive the machine gun could be (163). The machine gun would also be used on tanks and airplanes (163). Many Euro...
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...would have continued with even more death and destruction.
Works Cited
Bull, Stephen. Encyclopedia of Military Technology and Innovation. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2004. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Coetzee, Frans and Marilyn Shevin-Coetzee. World War I: A History in Documents. New York: Oxford UP, 2002. Print.
Ferguson, Niall. The Pity of War. New York: Basic, 1999. Print.
Gilbert, Adrian. World War I in Photographs. New York: Military Press, 1986. Print.
Haskew, Michael E. The World's Greatest Tanks: An Illustrated History. London: Amber, 2014. Print.
Lengel, Edward G. "Introducing Poison Gas." Military History 29.6 (2013): 18. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Livesey, Anthony. Great Battles of World War I. New York: Macmillan, 1989. Print.
Westwell, Ian. World War I: Day by Day. New York: Chartwell, 2012. Print.
There were many technological developments in WWl. Machine guns were invented to help soldiers kill many people at the same time. Machine guns could fire
War is what keeps a nation from dying, it is the backbone of a country. This is the shown throughout the course of World War I, also known as “the war to end all wars.” World War I started in the summer of 1914. Archduke Francis Ferdinand, from the Austro – Hungarian Empire was visiting Bosnia. He was shot, along with his wife, Sofia, by a young man from the Black Hand, Gavrillo Princip. What were the three main factors that started World War I? There were three main underlying causes that started World War I: greed, nationalism, and militarism.
World War I, also referred to as the Great War, was global conflict among the greatest Western powers and beyond. From 1914-1918, this turf war swept across rivaling nations, intensifying oppositions and battling until victory was declared. World War I was immediately triggered by the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, however several long-term causes also contributed. The growing development of militarism, the eruption of powerful alliances, as well as the spread of imperialism, and a deepening sense of nationalism, significantly promoted to the outbreak of the Great War.
“War is unorganized murder, and nothing else” (Harry Patch). In World War 1, which was first called the Great War, there were many causes of the war breaking out. The Great War started August 1st 1914, days after the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophia, when they visited Bosnia. Many soldiers went to war for no reason but to fight for their country. The Great War was not only affected by the soldiers, but also by the civilians as well.
New advances in technology changed warfare in WW2. The change in technology since WW1 has produced such things as Atom Bomb, and new and improved sea and air warfare. New techniques had to be used because of technology, techniques such as 'mouseholing'. More people were killed because of technology, as more people died in WW2 than WW1.The technological advances in WW2 changed the battlefield completely as more deadly auxiliary was introduced.
The year is 1942, and German U-boats are wreaking havoc on allied shipping to Britain; the vital lifeline which allows the island nation to survive. Unchallenged, they sink hundreds of the merchant vessels which carry the desperately needed food, arms, and other equipment that is necessary for Britain's survival. They are silent and deadly; undetected until it is too late. With a loud deafening blast, a torpedo impacts the center of a ship, breaking its back. The other ships try to run, as their crews search for the unseen attacker by the glow of the ship slipping under the water to her final resting place. Cries of terror pierce the sky, as a ghostly shadow is seen heading for the flagship. The ship rolls to the side as it turns as hard as it can. The torpedo misses, but a second blast pierces the sky, disabling the ship's rudder and propellers. Tracking the submarine with its sonar, a destroyer escort moves at full steam to counter the threat. Once over the spot where the submarine lurks, depth charges are shot over the railing, and they sink quietly in the water to bring the fight back to the concealed enemy. As each detonates, the water bulges over top of where they were dropped. Knowing when it has met its match, the German U-boat retreats and the battle is over until another day.
A majority of weapons used in World War II were improved weapons from World War II. Most guns increased in power and abilities. In World War II people thought that pistols were useless but this was proved wrong due to the fact that the U.S. Mi...
The radio revolutionised the way families spent time together and receive information. The movie theaters had an impact on how people forgot about the depression and made life seem better. Many homes in the 1920s also just got access to electricity while many homes were still lit by candle light, but became more prominent as the time period continued. Labor saving appliances of the 1920s made the household chores easy to accomplish than it used to be. The 1920s was enriched by many technological achievements that helped changed the way americans communicated, managed their health, and partook in leisurely activities.
Advancements in technology and science contributed to one the most gory and bloodiest war in the annals of human existence. These new technological advancements revolutionized how people regarded war. War was no longer where the opposite forces fought in a coordinated battle. War evolved into game of cunning strategy where the side with the bigger, powerful, and smarter toys played better. This led to a fierce competition where each side tried to create the smarter machines and better weapons, leading to deadly mass killing weapons in the process. One weapon or machine was created and an even better one was made. New developments such as machine guns, poison gas, tanks, and new strategy to thwart trench warfare affected how WWI was fought and it came with catastrophic results.
World War I was one of most brutal and largest wars that ha world has ever experienced. World War I was a war fought in many countries all over the world including Europe, France, Russia, Britain, France, the United States and many other countries. Although World War I officially began on July 28th, 1914, this war has been building up for quite a bit of time. The issues started minor but began to grow larger until the official date of the war was declared much like a domino affect.
Machine guns are designed to be fully automatic weaponry which can eject successive rounds of ammunition rapidly. The term is generally used to describe the non-automatic firearms which have been modified to operate like an automatic rifle. Over the years, the machine gun has seen major improvements that now make it a weapon of choice in many warfare and security operations. Over the years, there have been different brand names given to the modified machine guns. The use of the ammunition belt to feed the rounds into the gun makes the gun light and thus can be hand held or held on a stand while in use (Fowler et al. 90).
In the war between countries, technology has played a huge part in the outcome; this is especially evident during the time of World War II. Technology in warfare consisted of weapons, vehicles, aircrafts, and chemical reactants. Technology during World War I was lacking and countries knew when World War II began that in order for them to be victorious they must have the most technologically advanced weapons and other devices or systems that would benefit the nation. The Allies were victorious in WW2 because they made better use of the available technologies than the Germans, advancing in communication/detection systems such as sonar and the radio, as well as, weapons including the atomic bomb, and bomber aircrafts.
No other weapon in my opinion has changed the face of the battlefield as has the machine gun. It's design and and association with mass death makes it a great and powerful weapon. Two men, Hiram Maxim and Richard Gatling, made huge impacts in the development of the Machine Gun and bringing it to use in the military. These two brilliant men designed capable and reliable versions of Machine guns in a time when everyone was making unreliable models. However before we get into discussion about the inventions of Hiram Maxim and Richard Gatling, it's important to understand how machine guns were developed.
World War 1 World War 1 was called “The Great War”, “The war to end all wars”, and “The first modern war”. It has many causes and a few repercussions and I will describe them in detail. The most widely known reason for the start of World War 1 was the assassination of the Arch Duke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in the Serbian capital of Sarajevo. The ArchDuke was there to talk to the Serbian leaders about peace on the Balkan Peninsula. After a Serbian was arrested for the assassination, Austria-Hungary pulled out of the peace talks and declared war on Serbia.
In the early 20th century, the world never had a “Great War”. Wars always involved a few countries or areas, but, never had the whole world participate1. Before World War One, militaries traveled by foot or upon horses. They had to recoil or reload their guns before firing. Also, they had to reload the heavy cannons with massive cannonballs. They never had the luxury of air travel, machine guns, or even artillery shells like we have today.