The First World War - Essay Example

The Origins of the First World War When global war broke out in 1914 dreams of world peace and prosperity were shattered. Accordingly, the First World War was arguably one of the most traumatic episodes in the history of international affairs. Geopolitically speaking, the First World War was unprecedented in both scale and sheer loss of human life. Never before had the world witnessed such carnage and violence perpetuated through the use of modern technology. The First World War touched much of the world the implications of this conflict reverberated across the globe. World War I also became infamous for the type of fighting which occurred during the duration of this conflict. Accordingly, trench warfare, a particularly brutal type of warfare undertaken in armed trenches, and resulting in huge human casualties and loss of life, was a key feature of the battles which occurred as part of the First World War. Difficult conditions coupled with widespread disease and poor sanitation were features of this insidious type of armed conflict. Seeking to explore the devastation which occurred as a result of trench warfare during World War One, this essay will analyze the conditions of trench combat, the types of disease prevalent throughout the trenches and will explore how British soldiers endured fighting under these inhospitable conditions. We begin now with an overview of the preconditions which led to one of the most traumatic episodes in world history. Introduction There were a variety of important preconditions to the emergence of the conflict, which up until that date, had been the largest that the world had ever seen. The First World War represented the dueling alliances of the Triple Entente - composed of Britain, France and Russia – and the Triple Alliance – comprised of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. Pre-conditions are best described as the precursors to conflict and there were many underlying long-term causes for the belligerent behaviour of the states of Europe in 1914. An arms race, underway for years, and growing at a rapid pace just prior to the emergence of the First World War set the stage for violent conflict between the major states of the region. Accordingly, the arms race occurring at the time exacerbated the global balance of power and led to an increased likelihood of aggressive behavior between the armies of Europe. As the European armies grew and competed with one another for size, manpower and prestige, the naval race between German and Britain contributed to a partition of the major states of the continent into two opposing camps. In addition to international arms races, domestic pressures and a willingness of the part of the citizens of some countries to engage in war helped precipitate the conflict. Accordingly, the diplomatic isolation of Germany, Austro-Hungary was another important contributor to the outbreak of global war in 1914 (Joll and Martel 1992). Trench Warfare As a “mass war”, World War I represented war on what was until then, an unimaginable scale. Accordingly during the First World War, a system of trenches demarcated the European peninsula from the Belgian coast to the Swiss frontier, immobilizing armies and constructed to provide both a defensive as well as an offensive perimeter for combat. According to British historian A.E. Ashworth, the typical trench was six to seven feet in depth and approximately six feet in width and represented both protection as well as a point of attack in the event of an excursion by enemy armies. Populated by soldiers living in conditions which were often unsanitary and unhealthy, trench warfare became the modus operandi during WWI. Communication systems allowed soldiers in the trenches to communicate with senior officers elsewhere as well as amongst themselves. The conditions of trench combat were harsh, particularly during the extreme summers and winters, and frequency of combat varied dramatically. Some units spent days, weeks and sometime more than a month in the trenches – an Australian battalion famously spent nearly two months in a French trench – although engagement with the enemy was often sporadic (Ashworth 423). Described by scholars as “hellish”, this description adequately sums up the experiences of many soldiers who participated in the trench warfare of World War One. Surprise raids were mounted, trenches were bombarded and casualties ensued in the conflict. Accordingly, it is estimated that more than 10% of the combatants in the First World War were killed in battle, thousands killed in trench combat. The British and Commonwealth troops (compromising Canada, Australia and other overseas Dominion territories) experienced higher rates of death in battle, especially on the Western Front with death estimates as high as 13% and casualties (those who were killed or wounded) exceeding 55%. Death in the trenches became an unfortunate feature of battle under these conditions and minor injuries proved to be fatal. Injuries were not often properly treated and the sanitary conditions in the trenches left much to be desired. Minor injuries often resulted in the onset of gangrene and medical provisions were primitive at best. Amputations following battle were thus customary after trench warfare and concussions and other head wounds were common place. Terms such as trench mouth and trench foot grew to encompass particular wounds sustained during trench warfare and symbolized the particular conditions soldiers faced in trench conflict. Common infections in the trenches included typhus, dysentery and cholera which spread rampantly in the trenches. While all soldiers on either side of the conflict had to deal with the heinous fighting conditions characteristic of the British managed to overcome the particular challenges associated with their conditions through a healthy diet to supplement their fighting (this was reportedly greater than that afforded the German army at the time) and fought tirelessly in the heinous battles which came to characterized the War. Although the British were successful in the War, it remains to be seen at cost, since as has been mentioned earlier, the British and Dominion armies sustained higher casualties than most during the trench combat of the First World War (Ashworth 407-423). Concluding Remarks As one of the most traumatic episodes in the history of the world, the First World War represented geopolitical conflict on an unprecedented scale. Never before had the world witnessed such carnage, bloodshed and violence. The “hellish” conditions of trench warfare were particularly difficult on infantrymen on all sdes who had to endure miserable fighting conditions and the unique challenges of war in the trenches. Disease and poor sanitation were features of the trenches and combat under these conditions paved the way for new maladies and infectious terms which became commonplace such as trench foot and trench mouth. Although the British army managed to weather the storm and win the war, the losses were great with more than 55% casualties and fatalities caused by the conditions of the trenches. As has been shown, a variety of factors led to high level of deaths caused during the First World War and while each factor differed in substance, each of these factors contributed to the emergence of the “War to End All Wars”. References Ashworth, A. E. “The Sociology of Trench Warfare 1914-18”. The British Journal of Sociology. 19:4 (Dec., 1968): 407-423. James Joll, J. and G. Martel. The Origins of the First World War. New York: Longman, 1992. Strachan, H. The Oxford Illustrated History of the First World War. London: Oxford University Press, 2001. Read More