The First World War

Introduction

The First World War took place between 1914 and 1918 which took off when Germany and Britain started fighting. The First World War therefore gave warfare a new face since it combined legacies of the French and industrial revolution. It thus paved way for the patterns of war in the twentieth-century .

Thesis

The First World War had profound influence in warfare globally and these influences have served as a lead on the pattern of wars in the twentieth-century. The paper further looks at the legacies of the French and industrial revolutions that were incorporated into the First World War.

Purpose

The French revolution resulted to freedom from customary burdens and destruction of the old society. This abolishment of feudalism paved way for egalitarianism and individualism .On the other hand Industrial revolution took place in the nineteenth century and both revolutions had great influence on how the First World War was conducted. Through the French revolution Europe and the rest of the world got to learn that infringements in liberty can arise from the concepts of peoples will and national sovereignty. National identity awareness increased in the nineteenth century and this was stimulated by the French revolution. In the nineteenth century there was drastic and rapid changes one being great advances in industry as well as in technology and science. The changes that greatly influenced warfare include new technology advancement in science and improved communication and infrastructure. The advancement of technology made it possible for new weapon production.

. The essay therefore looks at the various aspects that were propelled by the WWI and the after effects that it had on the art of war from the WWI period to the current times.

New technology and industry development

The French revolution instilled the attitude of supremacy among many nations worldwide. These nations had increasingly produced weapons that they could use in a show of their might. With the onset of industrial revolution there was improvement of the existing weapons and invention of new weapons. The industrial revolution made it possible for production of weapons in mass. There was improvement on manufacturing of steel and iron that were used in the manufacturing of some of the weapons. The production of weapons was therefore undertaken with great accuracy.

The weapons were more powerful and there was a great variety. This increase in the availability of weapons led to the success of the First World War since the weapons were readily available for all the new soldiers who were recruited as well as to replace those that were destroyed in the war.

The weapons that were produced were of high power such as rifles and loading weapons such as breech. These were more effective in the war and thus a great success in the war. Their was use of fire power surpasses both range and destructive effect of a cannon that is six-powder this thus made the war very destructive as compared to the past wars. Some weapons such as the dumdum bullets and machine gun were very destructive. The wide range of weapons produced made it possible for choice of the suited weapon at a particular time and hence great success in the war. These new inventions gave rise to new philosophy of the war i.e. the warfare was now less physical and mental. It depended mostly on the technical knowhow.

Advancement in science

The extension of states that was witnessed from the French revolution enabled the states to provide education and hence gave rise to a society that was intellectual. The elite society paved way for scientific inventions that played a vital role during the war. Though the scientific inventions were not war stimulated they played a crucial role in the development of the war. It is worth noting that there was a lag phase before many scientific inventions affected the military technology, once they came into play they had a great influence in the war.

Chemistry was among the greatest scientific use in the war. Most explosives were discovered through scientific research that played a major role during the war. Chemists investigated a large number of chemicals that had great potential for use as weapons. The armies grouped war gases as per their physiological effect. This means that they were grouped according to how they could affect the human body. For example one of these categories was lachrymators this include teargas like xylyl bromide. This agent has a primary effect on eyesight but when in large concentrations can affect the respiratory system.

Another category is Asphxiators that include chlorine, phosgene that cause fluids to enter lungs hence prevents oxygen from reaching the bloodstream. Another category was the vesicant or blister producing agent that registered the greatest casualty cases. It had a peculiar odor and was commonly referred to as mustard gas though it was a volatile liquid and not a gas (Heller, 2010). There was even discovery of rockets during this period which were used in the war. Other fields that were exploited were electricity and physics in the development of cables in the Atlantic Ocean, tidal gauges and compasses used by mariners.

Improved infrastructure and communication

The French revolution played a crucial role in the extension of the states that existed especially in Western Europe. Within this states there was regulated transportation and communication. There was complete transformation of logistics and communications through massive building of railroad and steamships during the industrial revolution. This new means were used to move supplies and troops from one area to another. Armies were bigger and hence they could be easily transported as they were more mobile. The telegraph was also an important aspect of development in communication since it paved way for easy contact and accessibility during the war, there was great exchange of information that was needed during the war for instance communication on when and where to launch an attack. The development of a wireless telegraph speeded up communication during the war. The submarine cable and telegraph were more flexible because the recipient and the sender were not tied down by systems that involved wires and cables. Naval operations were made more strategic by use of the wireless systems since ships lacked visual communication when at sea. There was development of tanks and airplanes that were a great revolution in transport. There was also development and use of gasoline engine that was used to haul food supplies and ammunition to maintain the large number of armies that were deployed in specific areas

Conclusion

It is evident that the first world war and both the French and industrial revolutions had put into place in each nation war machines that were of very great power which had never existed before. This machinery has played an important role in wars in the twentieth century. The technology used in world war one was beyond any reasonable doubt more complicated when compared to any other wars experienced previously. Much of what is seen in the twentieth century is the improvement of weapons that existed previously and making them perfect for instance artillery weapons and machine guns have been made more powerful and accurate by ballistics and metallurgists .Railroads have been made more efficient as transport has now been motorized gradually. More great innovations have been seen in airplane, submarine and poison gas.

This therefore means that there is no difference in warfare in the nineteenth century and twentieth century since the warfare in the twentieth century is a continuity in terms of weapons and technology from the First World War. The only difference is just the advancement of technology from that existed.