Weapons and Their Consequences

1
Weapons and Their Consequences

• Volti Chapter 13

2
Weapons and Their Consequences

• Some of our technology has led to human
  destruction rather than human progress

3
Military Technology in the Ancient World

• Many technological changes were inspired toward
  martial purposes
• Metals used to make weapons
• First weapons - stones, clubs then bow and arrow
• Horse and Chariot - effective, but not entirely
• Horses had to be fed - often hard to do because
  of limited food
• Foot Soldier - carried sword and protected by
  shield
• Catapults were another weapon

4
Military Technology and the Feudal Order

• Military technology made few advances in the
  centuries following the fall of Rome
• Sixth Century - new technology - the stirrup -
  not a weapon but made existing weapons more
  effective
• Fixed warrior firmly to his horse thus giving him
  more fighting capacity
• Feudal system in, by nature, decentralized the
  fighting was decentralized as well. Knights
  fought for individual honor and not necessarily
  for a formal regime
• Horse mounted knight was a symbol of nobility -
  from this, a culture of chivalry emerged.
• Chivalry - chaval (french - horse)

5
New Weapons and The Decline of Feudalism

• Knightly combat began to disintegrate when new
  technology emerged
• 14th century - the pike (19 feet long, used by
  Swiss) used to break up knight assaults
• Swiss Pikemen became the most feared soldiers in
  Europe
• Longbow (used by Welsh) used to attack knights
  from afar. Could drive an arrow through several
  inches of oak
• Crossbow also used to challenge knight (crank and
  ratchet assembly to draw arrow) - cumbersome to
  reload
• Knight had to use heavier armor to withstand
  attack - this led to decrease mobility
• Castles - was a fortress of security
• Trebuchet - weapon. A long arm unequally
  balanced on a fulcrum. One end held projectile,
  the other was weighted down. When catch was
  released, projectile flew.

6
The Gunpowder Revolution

• The use of gunpowder sealed the fate of feudal
  weaponry
• Fire was also used as a weapon. Perhaps it was
  the most terrifying of weapons
• The invention of gunpowder transformed the nature
  of warfare
• Gunpowder - originated in the east, China. Used
  medicinally
• Introduced in Europe, 14th century
• Initially, gunpowder used to fire canons - very
  ineffective. Trebuchet worked better
• Artillery appeared in 1453 (Moslem attackers
  successfully used cannon to knock down
  Constantinople)
• Iron and bronze gun barrels were developed.
  Technology improved considerably
• First guns had many shortcomings, but by the 16th
  century became an indispensable component to
  warfare
• Also, the way soldiers fought underwent a
  transformation
• Soldier began to battle in rows - fire weapon
  then retreat to back row
• Also, soldiers had to know how to use the weapons
  in order for them to be effective
• Many soldiers buckled under the pressure of
  battle
• Generals had to institute rigid battle procedures

7
War and the Centralized State

• Artillery and firearms expanded the scope of
  warfare
• New forms of warfare greatly increased the cost
  of military operations
• Soldiers had to be trained to use equipment -
  this required standardization
• As standardization in government became more
  evident so did the standardization of weaponry
• Standardization of weaponry was not an easy
  process. In fact, little change occurred in 18th
  and 19th centuries
• Changing weapons involves a change in a host of
  other structures
• A new cannon will require new cannonballs,
  auxiliary devices, and retraining
• Soldiers often resistant to change, especially
  regarding something as dangerous as warfare
• New developments often have glitches and that is
  last thing you want when someone Is pointing a
  cannon at your castle!!!!
• Changes were made however
• Development of breech loading weapons made
  loading quicker
• New gun powders were developed that were
  smokeless - so a soldier did not give away his
  position when he fired

8
Technological Change and the Naval Culture In the
Era of the Battleship

• Steam powered ships soon became equipped with
  cannons - this revolutionized naval battle
• Previous method of naval battle - ram opposing
  ship, board vessel, overtake crew through
  traditional combat
• New method - disable or sink ship through use of
  cannon fire
• Also, ships can transport weapons - profit
• The mechanization of navy ships indelibly changed
  the culture of the navy
• Navy had tradition that was reduced to rote
  procedures when technology was introduced

9
Weapons and The Modern World

• Conduct of war began to change dramatically
• Technological superiority of Western Europe
  clearly evidenced in the Opium Wars (1839-1842)
• Cannons of British gunboats battered down Chinese
  fortresses
• By second half of 19th century, military gap
  between Europe and rest of world grew larger
• The most effective weapon of European Imperial
  advance was the machine gun. Came into being
  during the colonial wars of late 19th and 20th
  centuries. Europeans arrogantly thought gun could
  be used only against "lesser breeds" of man
• Europeans realized (especially during WWI) that
  the machine gun transformed warfare - often with
  horrific repercussions (England lost 60,000 men
  during the first day of the Battle of the Somme)

10
Weapons and The Modern World

• Submarine transformed navies the way machine gun
  transformed armies
• Firing torpedoes under water broke all
  traditional rules of naval battle tradition - let
  prisoners board ship before sinking enemy. Not so
  with subs
• Airplane - wreaked havoc on civilian population
• Even before A-Bomb - bombers killed several
  hundred thousand during WWII
• A single air raid on Berlin killed more than
  25,000
• Despite bombings in WWII - civilian morale never
  broke down, and analysis shows that bombings did
  not play a decisive role in winning the war
• "Bombingproduced much smaller military results
  than had been expected"

11
Weapons and The Modern World

• Nuclear War has proportions of which all other
  wars combined pale in comparison
• One-megaton bomb can dig a 1,000 ft. wide crater
  to a depth of 200 feet
• "The terrifying power of modern weaponry has
  eliminated completely the distinction between
  soldier and civilian that already began to break
  down early in the 20th century."
• Advanced military technology has opened the
  psychological distance between the warrior and
  his victims
• Battle is much more impersonal
• "You press a button and death flies downHow can
  there be writhing, mangled bodies? How can this
  air around you be filled with unseen projectiles?
  It is like listening to a radio account of a
  battle on the other side of the earth. It is too
  far away, too separated to hold reality. In
  modern war one kills at distance, and in so doing
  he does not realize that he is killing."