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Technology and WarfareWorld War I demonstrated a lucid transformation in how wars were fought. One of the most obvious technological developments of this time manifested via the weaponry used. Tanks and machine guns had a tremendous impact on the way that soldiers engaged in warfare and influenced what it meant to be a soldier. Mass production and the development of flying machines also had a grave impact on modern warfare and the speed at which weapons and vehicles could be made and replaced.
So much of World War I is connected to trench warfare: armies on all sides created trenches on the perimeter of the western front, starting from the body of water that divides southern England and northern France to Switzerland. These trenches were enforced with barbed wire and stations for machine guns. Trench warfare was directly responsible for how long the war went on, because it easily created a stalemate: with both sides keeping their soldiers bunkered down within trenches that were heavily armed. Leaving the trench to confront the enemy meant almost certain death as machine guns could rain bullets down any assailant. This created a war that seemed to go on forever, as soldiers had to deal with the monotony, filth, lack of hygiene and imminent danger of trench life.[footnoteRef:1] This means that the monotony that shaped trench warfare for the average soldier was marked with much suffering and had a deeply macabre aspect to it: [1: Robert Tignor et al., Worlds Together Worlds Apart, (New...
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“The typical trench dugout resembles catacombs more than anything else. A long gallery is cut in the ground with pick and shovel. Its dimensions are about those of the cages, which Louis XI devised for those of his prisoners whom he wished especially to torture, that is, the height is not great enough to permit a man to stand up and the breadth does not allow him to stretch out. Down the length of one curving wall the soldiers sit huddled, pressed close, elbow to elbow. They are smoking, eating morsels of dry bread or staring blankly at the wall in front of them. Their legs are wrapped in blankets, their heads in mufflers. Slung or piled about them, filling every inch of extra space, are rifles, sacks, cartridge belts and other equipment. A villainous draught sweeps by. Tobacco smoke and steaming breath show how swiftly it drives through. The floors are covered with straw, in which vermin breed.”[footnoteRef:2] [2: Alan Seeger, Letter and Diary of Alan Seeger (New York, Scribner, 1917)]
This passage clearly demonstrates that the technological development of the machine gun caused life at war for the average soldier to be riddled with much suffering and profound discomfort. At the same time, the machine gun that enabled this extreme monotony also enabled an immense number of wartime casualties. “Machineguns were modified during the war to be more mobile and to use the same ammo as the infantry rifles. Most of these weapons fired…
World War II or the Second World War occurred between 1939 and 1945 between the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers (Wikipedia 2006). The Allied Powers were led by the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the U.S. The Axis Powers were led by Germany, Italy and Japan. World War II claimed 12 million lives and began in response to the military aggression of Nazi Germany under Adolph Hitler and
World War I Tactics and Weaponry In many ways, the "War to End All Wars" was fought with a wide range of increasingly modernized weaponry that was matched with obsolete tactics that resulted in millions of deaths and casualties on both sides of the conflict. Indeed, during the period between 1914 and 1918, the full brunt of early 20th century technology was brought to bear on the battlefields of Europe and
Sonar Research and Naval Warfare: 1914-1954 During both World War I and World War II, there were a number of informational tactics used by the Navy in order to gain ground on enemy troops. One of those was sonar research, because it provided them with knowledge they would not have otherwise had (Hackmann, 1984). Sonar is not perfect, but a great deal of work has gone into it since its creation,
At the time the West started its ascension to global domination and power in the sixteenth century, military institutions and organizations played a pivotal role in its impetus to supremacy. Contemporary historical work gives the suggestion that the military structure of the West has gone through repeated periods of innovation starting at the onset of the fourteenth century and prevailing on to the present and that these sorts of periods
On July 20, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the moon. The American success gave the "entire free world a huge and badly needed boost." President Kennedy used the space race to boost the idea of the "free world" over Communism, commenting that we would govern space "by a banner of freedom and peace." Space technology was not the only form of competition taking place in the 20th century.
Political Leadership in 20th Century America The United States is an established 'superpower' nation of the world in the turn of 20th century. In the 20th century American society, numerous events had led to the creation of the American image, where the country played a significant role in influencing and affecting decisions in domestic and international politics. In America, the President plays the essential role of analyzing and deciding on solutions