Unit 7: Topic 3 - Conducting World War 1 Flashcards
Total War
Total War is a type of warfare fought without any limitations on targets or weapons, meaning that nations were willing to mobilize all available resources, even civilians, to achieve a complete victory.
Impact of Total War: Military
Total War requires a massive expansion of military strength. Countries who fought in World War 1 spent significant portions of their gross domestic product (GDP) on military production.
Impact of Total War: Industrial Production
The outbreak of World War 1 called for the emergence of changes in nations’ industrial production. Production in consumer goods would soon shift to goods that would help the war, such as bullets, blankets, bandages, artillery batteries, and a tin of beef. Not to mention that the government played a larger role in managing industries. Before World War 1, the government had a minimal role in privately owned businesses and industries. But with the outbreak of World War 1, the government took part in instituting industrial planning committees that planned out production for the sake of winning the war.
Impact of Total War: Women
Due to the direness of World War 1, women’s participation in the labor force increased substantially. Many women worked in factory jobs previously held by men. Although women weren’t allowed to fight on the front lines, they joined the military in large numbers in clerk, secretarial, and medic positions. Ultimately, women’s contributions to the war would also help the women’s suffrage movement after the war.
Propaganda
Propaganda is a way of communication to influence the masses’ attitude to promote or publicize a particular political point of view. Usually, the information is biased or misleading, but it did help recruit men and vilify the enemy.
Art and Media
Mass consumption of art and media sources was crucial in spreading war propaganda. These examples included newspapers, magazines, artists, cartoons, and silent films. Usually, men as warriors and women being supporters in the backlines were common themes to strengthen patriotism. And it would villainize the enemy, persuading everyone in the nation to participate in the war.
Machine Guns
World War 1 popularized the use of machine guns, being able to bring down rows of soldiers from a distance on the battlefield. These guns allowed gunners to fire off more than 500 rounds a minute. But because most armies had machine guns in their arsenal, it became difficult for the Central or Allied powers to gain a battlefield advantage by using this weapon. Many of the battles in the war ended in a stalemate.
Poison Gas
German introduced poisonous gas in warfare in the Battle of Second Ypres on April 22, 1915. Common types of poison gas were chlorine, phosgene, and mustard gas, which caused soldiers to choke to death or drown in their vomit when inhaled. And even if the soldiers did survive the poisonous gases, they would suffer from severe skin, lung, or nervous system damage. To counter such weapons, Cluny Macpherson invented gas masks; soldiers would wear gas masks in battle, rendering the poison gas useless.
Tanks
British forces first used tanks during the Battle of the Somme in September 1916. Using tanks proved to be effective in crossing trenches and enemy trench lines. However, the disadvantages were that tanks moved very slow and it would often get ditched in trenches that were too wide.
Airplanes
Unlike other military technologies, aircraft were mainly used for reconnaissance. Due to the static nature of trench warfare, airplanes were used to collect intel beyond enemy trenches; for example, they were essential in identifying the enemy’s position and what they were doing. It was not until World War 2 that aircraft were used for combatant purposes.
Submarines
Submarines long existed before the outbreak of World War 1, but Germany saw use in them for warfare. The German navy had the largest and most effective submarine fleet in the war, with German U-boats, which were responsible for sinking many ships and vessels in the war. Not to mention that it was German U-boats that sank the Lusitania (British cruise line), which caused the United States to participate in the globalized conflict.
Trench Warfare
Trench Warfare is a type of land warfare where both sides build deep trenches as a defense against the enemy. These trenches can stretch for miles and make it nearly impossible for one side to advance over the other. After the end of the war, the casualties in these trenches exceeded over four million.
