The Use of Chemical Weapons in World War I - Essay Example

Interwar Ethical Arguments Supporting the Use of Chemical Weapons in World War I Insert due Interwar Ethical Arguments Supporting the Use of Chemical Weapons in World War I Introduction Poisonous gas was used in the battle fields during the First World War by Germans to seek accelerated success against their enemies. The first time they used this extensively was in 1915 at Ypres. The weapon was dangerous to the victims and the perpetrators too. After the World Wars, chemical warfare elicited varied support from different groups of people. This was not the first time the debate of the weaponry appropriate for war existed. According to FitzGerald, the Hague Declaration of 1899 and the Hague Convention of 1907 had forbidden the use of poisonous weapons in warfare1. Ignoring this law, it is reported that more than 124 000 tons of gas had been produced by the time the First World War was ending2. By using gas bombs and any other chemical weapons, Germans clearly ignored the then laws of war. These are the ones that specifically prohibited the use of chemical weapons. The basis for supporting chemical warfare or supporting its abolition was founded on the ethical issues associated with that kind of war. Presenting a range of premises in support of the use of chemical weapons in World War I, interwar ethical arguments considered it time-friendly, humane as well as economical among other advantages. This essay will present the scenarios before, during and after World War I which illustrate the pros and cons of the employment of chemical warfare and the reasons why the German used it extensively in wars. Commonly Used Gases in Chemical Warfare Gas attacks were some of the feared attacks by the troops in the battle fields. Therefore signs of gas weapons such as artillery shells, which encased the gas, and prevailing wind, which accelerated the spreading of the gas, were dreaded by the troops in gas stricken zones3. The gas attacks used to be major offensive when they would be discharged in massive forms. Attacks using Lachrymatory gases would temporarily disable soldiers in trenches such that attacking them further would be easier. The lachrymatory gases affected the eyes by causing them to tear. There are other gases which were lethal such as chlorine and phosgene. These normally disabled the tissues of the respiratory system thus causing the victim to die. For instance, Mustard gas caused horrors to the victims and was one of the most dreaded chemical weapons. This was partly due to the long period of time it would remain on the ground after being discharged as well as its adverse effects to the victims. Inhaling the gas caused death to the victim. In addition, its other effects included causing of temporary blindness as well as making the skin to burn and blister4. Support for Chemical Weapons The Germans thought that the use of chemical weapons was humane5. Looking at wars from the perspective of the correlation of the length of its period of time and the number of civilian lives subjected to risks associated with wars, they would argue that chemical weapons were associated with fewer risks. The period of time used perpetrate a major attack using gases was relatively way much shorter as compared to the use of the then conventional weapons such as pistols. The Germans also considered the economical aspect of using chemical weapons. Compared to the other weapons, chemical weapons were relatively cheaper and easier to produce. During the First world war Germany had the best chemical factories as well as schools. This ensured that the country produced sophisticated products in larger outputs than any other country6. They produced as much as they needed to perpetrate attacks to their enemies with more ease. Moreover, there was an unlimited arsenal of chemical agents that German would make use of in the chemical warfare. Thirty percent of the then war casualties were observed to have been victims of gas exposure7. FitzGerald reports that more than eighty percent of the casualties caused by gas attacks by the Germans against the British were caused by the mustard gas alone8. The red army9 The chemical weapons were easier to carry. When discharged, the gas attacks would also be aided by the prevailing wind to reach to the enemy at an accelerated speed. Apart from the cloudiness associated with the gas attacks, they were quite effective in attacking the enemy10. However, some gases had even more horrifying long term effects. For instance, due to its long term effects, victims who inhaled a gas like phosgene unknowingly would meet their sudden death after forty eight hours after its consumption11. In addition, mustard gas would persist on the ground for quite a long period of time after its discharge, a characteristic which made it even more dangerous as it could continue to affect victims long after the initial cloud had dissipated12. Most of the chemical weapons used by the Germans took effect very fast. This did not only ensure that most of the victims did not benefit from emergency responses but also that they wiped their enemies fast enough. The Germans employed the use of lethal gases which overwhelmed their enemy. For instance in the year 1918, the German troops made an incredible advancement in the western front. They had overwhelmed the British troops with the gas attacks to the limits that the surviving twenty one thousand British troops surrendered to become German slaves13. Intentional Gassing the Jews The act of gassing the Jews by the Germans was definitely not an ethical thing to do. Genocide arose in European countries with the rise of Adolf Hitler and his anti-Semitism. He wanted to see the annihilation of the Jews in Europe which led to the holocaust. Generally, the Germans had anti-semitic attitudes which made them perpetrate evils against the Jews. They employed the use of gas weapons as a method of automated killing. This started as experiments using mobile gas vans. Afterwards, there was the establishment of gas chambers which became centers of committing mass murder of Jews. These Chambers were located in the Chelmno, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Majdanek, Treblinka, Belzec and Sobibor14. The Jews were separated from others and their rights taken away from them. Their new places were the labour and death camps. Children and women were gassed immediately on arrival in the labour and death camps. Killing children and women during the holocaust was ignoring both the etiquette of respect for women and causing harm to the unarmed and defenseless. This is considered as part of the cruelty and waste that is associated with war. For instance, in the year 1944, half million Hungarian Jews met their deaths when they were gassed at Auschwitz-Birkenau15. The holocaust victims16 Accidental Gas Attacks In addition, Germans also did not observe those laws which protected civilians. FitzGerald observes that it was rather unfortunate that the deaths and injuries caused by chemical weapons were not restricted to the battlefield17. As much as Germans may have argued that chemical weapons were humane, they did not quite observe the limits which would make the use of those weapons to be considered humane. Attacks which were extended from the battlefields to the civilians were unethical. Learning of the gas attacks, soldier consequently adapted this this war environment. They developed means of always being on the alert for approaching gas clouds. Thus, in their activities they would always wear masks as precautionary measures to prevent the effects of the poisonous gases18. In case of a hint of a gas attack, sound alarms helped the soldier to act as fast as possible to don themselves with the gas masks. This move, however, benefited to a significant extent, the military. Non-combatants often times remained very much vulnerable to the harms which would be caused by the attacks of chemical weapons. This kept farmers in alert and they also adapted to the use of masks which would protect them in case of gas raids19. Unfortunately, most civilians, like the farmers were only capable of protecting themselves and not their livestock which were equally affected by the gas attacks as the humans. Chickens, livestock and warhorses which were protected by the gas masks survived the gas attacks. These masks were in form of bags which would encase the animals’ cages20. Threats of gas attacks occurred quite often and everyone had to be on the alert not to be gotten unawares in the attacks. Soldiers’ and Horse masks21 British masks22 Civilians were even more affected when they became victims of the gas attacks unknowingly. Some of the chemical used in the chemical warfare were ‘silent killers’, a characteristic that made them very dangerous to the victims. There were instances when civilians would find themselves affected by long term effects of the poisonous gases used in war then. As aforementioned, phosphogene and mastured gas killed massive numbers of the victims who came into contact with them23. The psychological impact associated with chemical warfare is significantly great. It extends way beyond the number of casualties or even the magnitude of damage caused. As observed by FitzGerald, “the exposure of large numbers of soldiers, munitions workers, and civilians to chemical agents had significant public health consequences”24. This includes the effects to the psychological health of these individuals. A soldier in a trench in the battlefield25 Refutation As observed earlier on, the international law on war prohibited certain weaponry including chemical weapons on war. The prohibition of weaponry to be used on war, however, came after the law that prohibited the killing of civilians which has been observed to be the very first restriction on war. For instance, in Europe the non-combatant immunity was prioritized from as early as 1850s26. Evidently, the civilian is significantly protected by the law from the most of the effects of war. Thus this is observed not only as an ethical principle but also as a legal principle. Following this law, any targets to non-combatants in warfare are considered illegal and unethical. This is the very act that German does; targeting the non-combatants in the events that led to mass murder of the Jews. Gassing the Jews was common practice by the Nazi. Another limit that has been set as far as wars are concerned is that of sparing lives when possible. Most of the effects that were observed to be associated with the chemical weapons, by the Germans, especially gas, had adverse effects even after their discharge. Thus, non-combatants were affected by the gas weapons. This clearly put the lives of many innocent people in great risks which were associated with these gases. Again looking the use of chemical weapons by the Germans from this point of view indicated that it was unethical due to the innocent lives that it put into risk. In addition foregoing spoiling of lands is another concern meant to limit the effects of war. The use Phosgene and mustard gas contaminated the land in the battlefields and elsewhere where they were used. Where medical corps did not create evacuation systems in case of large quantities usage of mustard gas, the land remained contaminated27. This is a clear indication also of the non-observation of this restriction which is meant to ensure minimized effects of war. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that the did not observe the ethical reasons which they gave in support of using chemical weapons in wars. For instance, they argued that the use of chemical weapons would reduce the risks that the civilians were exposed to because the length of the period of war would be reduced. On the contrary, risks that the civilians were exposed to when there was the use of chemical weapons seemed to be even more. These included the contamination of the land thus making it unsafe for its inhabitants. Moreover, these contaminations on the land, like the mustard gas adversely affected the civilians and in extreme instances even were causing death. The very civilian lives that the Germans argued to be considering to save as many as they could when using chemical weapons on war were their target. The Jews who died during the Shoal were civilians, most of them. Their killing by the Germans was not accidental but rather intentional as it was elaborately schemed for by the Nazi perpetrators. They persecuted women and children without hesitation by prioritizing gassing them before they exploited the energetic men enough to exterminate them. Unlike what can be considered as ethical practices in war, the combats by Germans were repugnant. It took away the purpose of war and overturned it. If incapacitation and death occurs during war, it remains ethical and respectful when the affected are the soldiers. When innocent civilians are affected by getting incapacitated and facing death, war ceases to be ethical. Ethical acts of war seek precision in combats in order to minimize as much as possible the number of civilian casualties. This is what is sought to be achieved in wars today and in future to avoid the recurrence of such a painful past as that which was perpetrated by Nazis using the chemical warfare. . Notes Secondary Notes Fitzgerald, Gerard J. "Chemical warfare and medical response during World War I." American journal of public health 98, no. 4 (2008): 611-625. Web. . Haber, Ludwig Fritz. The poisonous cloud: chemical warfare in the First World War. Oxford University Press, 1986. Russell, Edmund. "War and Nature: Fighting Humans and Insects with Chemicals from World War I to Silent Spring, Studies in Environment and History." (2001): 1-3 Web. Primary Notes Prentiss, Augustin M. "Chemicals in War. A Treatise on Chemical Warfare." Chemicals in War. A Treatise on Chemical Warfare. (1937). Vedder, Edward Bright. The medical aspects of chemical warfare. Williams & Wilkins, 1925. Winternitz, Milton C. Collected Studies on the Pathology of War Gas Poisoning from the Department of Pathology and Bacteriology, Medical Science Section, Chemical Warfare Service, Under the Direction of MC Winternitz... Yale University Press, 1920. Bibliography "First World War.com - Weapons of War: Poison Gas." First World War.com - A Multimedia History of World War One. Accessed June 8, 2015. http://www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/gas.htm. "The First World War: The Soldiers Experience Through Primary Sources | HTI." Welcome! | HTI. Accessed June 8, 2015. http://hti.osu.edu/history-lesson-plans/european-history/first-world-war. "The Holocaust | HTI." Welcome! | HTI. Accessed June 8, 2015. http://hti.osu.edu/history-lesson-plans/european-history/holocaust. "Red Army Chemical Warfare Drill 1920s." The Charnel-House. Accessed June 8, 2015. http://thecharnelhouse.org/2013/12/28/my-chemical-warmance/red-army-chemical-warfare-drill-1920s/. Read More