The World War 1 which began in July 28, 1914 was one of the greatest wars in history. World War 1 did not occur due to one event, but a variety of long-term and short-term causes led to this war. Some of the long-term causes were: imperialism, the Alliance System and militarism. Also, one of the short-term causes that led to this war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Before the war, France increased its defence expenditure by 10%, Britain by 13%, Russia by 39%, and Germany by 73% (Arizona). This increase in defence expenditure resulted in improved military forces (Arizona). For instance, “Between 1909 and 1911, Germany built nine Dreadnoughts while Britain completed 18 Dreadnoughts” (Arizona). Consequently, many countries …show more content…
Alongside with that, they had to endure harsh weather conditions which consisted of unbearable heat and constant rain. During those times, new weapons were developed through the Battle of Somme. Weapons like the machine guns and artillery were invented during the Battle of Somme, which led the war to be fought on sea, land and air. Machine guns were used in the battle as it replaced 60-100 rifles, but it required 4 to 6 people to operate. Also, the weapon was not considered to work in rain. Whereas, the artillery was widely used by the Germans, as it “could [ ] shoot high-caliber shells across great distances” (International Encyclopedia of the First World War). The Battle of Somme which commenced in July 1, 1916 was nicknamed the “Blood Bath” by the Germans as many soldiers died during this war. The war lasted five months and was ended during November 18, 1916 due to “rain, snow and sleet” which made it impossible to fight ( Le Canada: A People’s History).
Nevertheless, the new inventions of weapons affected the war in a very negative way and also increased the death of many soldiers. The inventions of deadly weapons killed soldiers in the trenches as well. The rivalry between these countries affected the soldiers and also their surroundings as the weapons scarred the …show more content…
One is able to experience what the soldiers faced through their words. When men with experience explain their life during the war, one is able to clearly comprehend and visualize the information with much detail. A general perspective may not allow one to truly understand the importance and the problems caused by a war.
Works Cited
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Storz, Dieter. "Artillery." International Encyclopedia of the First World War. The University Of Berlin, 16 Dec. 2014. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.
"The Bloodiest Battle." Canada: A People 's History. CBC/Radio Canada, 2001. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.
Ruffamn, Allan. "The Halifax Explosion." The Halifax Explosion. Alan Ruffman and Wendy Findley, 2007. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.
Foot, Richard. "Vimy Ridge." The Canadian Encyclopedia. N.p., 20 July 2006. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
"Green, Victor Arthur." Canadian Letters. Canadian War Museum, 2015. Web. 04 Mar.