Chemical warfare is the use of chemical agents to injure, incapacitate, or kill enemy combatants. First seen during World War I (WWI), the devastating effects of widespread chemical warfare were eventually deemed inhumane by an international consensus and chemical agents were subsequently banned from use. Still, despite the tendency of the modern warrior to overlook antiquated tactics, the threat of chemical agents in the theater of war cannot be entirely discounted by today's Soldier. By analyzing the application, evolution, and overall legacy of chemical weapons in the Great War we can work to minimize the danger they pose in current conflicts and those of the near future. For it is only by understanding the past that we can understand the present and shape tomorrow. Few could have foreseen that a chance encounter with a Serbian nationalist could’ve escalated into the largest war the world had ever seen. Yet that is exactly what happened on June 28, 1914, when Gavrilo Princip happened upon the motorcade of Franz Ferdinand and shot the Archduke and his wife to death, instigating an international conflict that was to set the world ablaze. The war pitted the Allied Powers, Britain, France and so forth, against the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and their allies. The United States, under the guidance of President Woodrow Wilson, remained neutral for most of the war. Despite being the closest trading partner of Britain, the United States held to the principle of maintaining affairs in its hemisphere and its hemisphere alone. That is until Germany's indiscriminate attacks on unarmed trade ships caused the destruction of the Italian liner Lusitania and the deaths of 27 Americans, ... ... middle of paper ... ...t as those soldiers a century ago. Detecting and staying educated on new discoveries keeps our country prepared for future use. References: History Channel Modern Marvel: WWI Chemical Warfare May 26, 2011 Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWtETJ0Pt4g Weapons of War: Poison Gas Michael Duffy 2000-2009 Retrieved from: http://www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/gas.htm War of Nerves: Chemical Warfare from WWI to Al-Qaeda Jonathan Tucker, 2006 Gas Attacks WWI, 26 Sept 2011 Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22w1UVGv71M Leavenworth Papers Chemical Warfare in WWI: The American Experience 1917-1918 MAJ Charles E. Heller USAR, September 1984 Retrieved from: http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/pdf/chemwarfare.pdf Facts about phosgene Center for disease control and prevention, April 2013 Retrieved from: http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/phosgene/basics/facts.asp
World War I, which lasted from 1914 to 1918, and had a huge impact on the world throughout the twentieth century. This conflict is commonly referred to as the Great War and primarily involved Europeans. Although, other countries, particularly European colonial holdings, did participate. Before World War I began, no one expected such a destructive conflict, as many nations approached the idea of war with enthusiasm. Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, European nations began to expand their colonial holdings, strengthen their militaries, and in 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot. The primary cause of World War I was nationalism, as European imperialism, militarism, and the assassination of Ferdinand are examples of nationalism
Tim O 'Brien 's 1986 “The Things They Carried,” tells a story of how impactful war can be. It describes the struggle of overcoming grief and the struggle to deal with death; it shows the human side of war. The passage above provides an excellent example of the way O 'Brien uses first person narration to explain the complexity of war. In particular, the real meaning of “The Things They Carried” is revealed, because they show the actual burden the soldiers carried was not materialistic, but emotionally, “They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love,” (O’Brien 608).
3Brophy, L. (1959). The Chemical Warfare Service (1st ed.). Washington: Office of the Chief of
In late July of 1914, the world was plunged into its first total war-World War I (WWI), or the Great War. There were many factors leading up to this, many being economic, political, and social. These were bringing tensions higher and higher until it was almost to the breaking point. Then, bang. Archduke Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophia were shot dead in Sarajevo, Bosnia on June 28, 1914. Otto von Bismarck was right when he said, “One day the great European War will come out of some damned foolish thing in the Balkans (goodreads).” Gavrilo Princip was an influential person of the 20th century because of his assassination of Archduke Ferdinand II. This was the catalyst that set off World War I, which indirectly caused the crash of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the formation and destruction of the Weimar Republic, World War II, and the Cold War.
History has proven the use of chemical weapons ranging back for decades. From the Greeks in ancient Europe using Greek fire to South American tribes using a form of tear gas made of grounded up hot chili peppers to scare away enemy tribes. As well as dipping the tips of spear heads with a poisonous toxin. Poisonous toxins used from live reptiles like frogs and venom from the snakes found from whichever region had enough potency venom to exterminate. The past has proven, that in order for Armies to survive and win, it relied on out smarting the enemy. New technologies and the evolution of weaponry were left to the brightest minds from those eras to develop.
When World War I broke out in Europe, Woodrow Wilson announced that the United States would stay out of European affairs and remain neutral. Wilson was aware that the United States had no interest in the matters that did not directly affect the interests of American citizens. He hoped that the United States would remain neutral and continue to trade with warring nations. The American view of neutrality meant we were entitled to safely and freely trade with either side at war as long as it was out in the open seas. The United States hoped to stay out of the way because war was viewed as wasteful, irrational, and immoral.
The purpose of this essay is to deal with the fact that chemical warfare should be brought back to modern warfare strategies. As Warren Rudman said, “And they will tell you unequivocally that if we have a chemical or biological attack or a nuclear attack anywhere in this country, they are unprepared to deal with it today, and that is of high urgency.” Rudman’s words are true in what they say and that we should do everything to counter-act his statement. Biological weapons are a key to outstanding success in war and therefore, I strongly suggest that chemical warfare is an effective and producible weapon tactic that can be used on today’s battlefield.
Trueman, Chris. "Chemical Warfare and World War Two." Chemical Warfare and World War Two. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2013. .
When War broke out in Europe in 1914 Wilson determined it was in the best interest of the United States to stay out of the conflict. In spite of the fact that president Wilson hoped to stay out of the war and wanted peace, in mid 1917 German submarines started attacking U.S. dealerships. On April 2, 1917, Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany, stating,“The world must be made safe for democracy.(History.com Staff)” In the following year and a half the United States constructed a army of 4 million men by enrollment, and sent 2 million men abroad to France, and joined the whole populace behind the war effort. After the war Wilson went before Congress in January 1918, to enunciate American war aims - the Fourteen Points, the last of which would establish "A general association of nations... affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike.(Duffy)”Woodrow Wilson did a good job in when joining the war finishing it in a rather fast manner and then quickly making sure a conflict like this never happened
Heller, C. E. (1985). Chemical warfare in World War I: the American experience, 1917-1918. Fort Leavenworth, Kan.: Combat Studies Institute, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College ;.
The American people thought they had captured the idea of “the shot heard around the world” when the first shot was fired in the American Revolution. The idea was then redefined when Gavrilo Princip shot and killed the Archduke, Franz Ferdinand, and his wife. This one shot of violence began a “war to end all wars.” However, what were the hidden reasons that started World War I. How could two small countries petty affairs start a war so large that in the end countries from every civilized continent would take part? Through the different alliances, acts of imperialism, -- the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies (Dictionary.com), militarism, -- the principle or policy of maintaining a large military establishment (Dictionary.com), and nationalism, -- the policy or doctrine of asserting the interests of one's own nation, viewed as separate from the interests of other nations or the common interests of all nations (Dictionary.com), these many countries had set a stage for a cataclysmic end.
Weapons and Artillery of World War II The result of World War II was affected by many different factors. One major factor which affected the war was the weapons and artillery used during the war. Since the beginnings of time, weapons have always been around. From swords and knives to nuclear weapons and missiles, weapons have evolved greatly over the years.
Poison gas was perhaps the most feared weapon out of all. Created to overcome the long stalemate style of trench warfare, its purpose was to draw out soldiers hiding in the trenches. One side would throw the poison gas into the enemy trenches and they would either wait for their enemy to come out into open fire or perish in the trenches. The first poison gas used in battle was chlorine at the start of the Second Battle of Ypres on April 22, 1915 by the Germans. Shortly after, followed the phosgene. The effects of these gases were ghastly. Chlorine was the most deadly as "within seconds of inhaling its vapor, it destroys the victim's respiratory organs, bringing on choking attacks" (Duffy). Phosgene had similar effects, except the fact that the effects started kicking in after 48 hours of inhalation. In September 1917, the Germans introduced the mustard gas or Yperite which was contained in artillery shells against the Russians at Riga. Those exposed t...
Nearing the end of his life, Otto von Bismarck said, “One day the great European War will come out of some damned foolish thing in the Balkans,” (History.com Staff 1). As it so happens, Mr. von Bismarck was correct. The first World War was triggered by the unmerited assassination of the Austro-Hungarian Archduke. The day Ferdinand was killed, was his and his wife’s wedding anniversary (History.com Staff 1). The couple was visiting Sarajevo in a open car, a rarity at the time (Ben Cosgrove 1). Unfortunately, this city held threatening nationalists and terrorists. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by a young man named Gavrilo Princip. Princip had been trained in terrorism by the Black Hand, a Serbian secret society (The Editors of Encyclopedia
War Explored in The Crucible by Arthur Miller, “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, and Leap to Freedom by Kasenkina