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31 May 2025
GS Paper 1
History
Day 3: What were the key technological innovations in warfare that emerged during the First and Second World Wars? (100 words)
Approach:
- Introduce highlighting the transformative impact of technology on warfare during the World Wars.
- Present the major innovations in clear, concise bullet points with relevant examples.
- Conclude suitably.
Introduction:
The First and Second World Wars marked a turning point in military technology, revolutionizing warfare globally. These conflicts introduced innovations that increased the scale, speed, and destructiveness of combat. Technological advancements shifted warfare from traditional battles to industrialized total war.
Body:
Key Technological Innovations:
- Machine Guns: Rapid-fire weapons like the British Lewis gun and American Browning intensified battlefield lethality.
- Tanks: Early models such as the British “Little Willie” broke trench warfare stalemates; later German Panzers enabled swift offensives.
- Aviation: Fighters and bombers emerged, with WWII strategic bombing campaigns devastating cities and industrial centers, e.g., Luftwaffe raids on Britain.
- Submarines: German U-boats severely disrupted Allied naval supply lines, posing a significant threat in both wars.
- Chemical Warfare: Over 100,000 tons of poisonous gases such as phosgene and mustard gas were deployed, causing mass casualties.
Conclusion:
These innovations transformed localized combat into mechanized, large-scale conflicts involving entire societies. They introduced new challenges, including civilian targeting and economic mobilization for war. The World Wars thus set the stage for modern warfare’s technological and strategic complexities.
