Technology of World War I New Technology ‘One important and unique part of World War I was the new technology that was used on the battlefield. “The 19th century was one of extraordinary creativity and invention in Europe. Most ‘western European nations underwent an Industrial Revolution during this time, and inventions were both a cause and a result of this Industrial Revolution. ‘New inventions were not just limited to industry — new ideas were being put to use in armies and navies. “The result of this changed the nature of war and warfare. It also changed the nature of military strategy. Impact on the War ‘World War I was the first war that was considered a Total War. A total war in- volved civilian populations like never be- fore in history — both in support of the war on the home front, and in terms of damages and casualties. “The new technology was what created the tremendous damages to both military and civilian populations, The civil- jan casualties at the end of the war were almost as high as the rail tary casualties. Never in history had so many civilians died as a result of warfare in so short a period of time. “Part of what created so many casualties was that the new technology aided in the development of trench warfare, and trench warfare was devastating. New Weapons “Airplanes were a novel new fighting tool. They were used in aeral dogfighting — but Hhad little effect on the outcome of battles. The planes of the era were small and could only carry one or two people. They could not carry heavy bombs, and therefore were more of a novelty than an otecive fguing weapon, SE ‘Artillery guns lobbed bombs over to enemy lines. Some of these guns were so large that they could fire shells that /weighed up to 2,000 pounds, This weapon was used throughout the war and was very effective in fighting trench warfare. ‘Machine guns fired bullets rapidly at enemy soldiers running across no man'e land, This was a key weapon used in the ‘war, Artillery shells and machine guns combined to create the majority of casualties in the war. Poison gas was used extensively by both sides, It chemically burned soft tiscues and mucous membranes, and was used for its fear factor. Few soldiers died of gas, but the fear of dying that way moved soldiers out of position, “Submarines were used a great deal during WWL They were called U-boats “underwater’, and moved. undetected through waters, They were highly effective in sinking enemy ships, “Tanks were firet used in WWI by the British, They broke down a lot, got stuck, and were not overly effective. (Other than scaring German soldiers half to death!) “Zeppelins (blimps) were used quite a bit by the Germans for dropping bombe in Britain. They also were used for reconnaissance. 4Global History Name World War I: Technology 1, What helped Western European nations de- 4. Define: Total War — velop better technology? 2. How did industrial innovation impact the military? 5. What was the impact of new technology on the war and the home front? 3, Describe new technology, its usage and ite effectiveness... Weapon Use Effectiveness 3.6. Bvaluate the pros and cons of technol- ogy today.