What was the Contribution of Technology towards Winning the War for Britain?

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What was the Contribution of Technology towards Winning the War for Britain?

The Great War, or the First World War as it is better known as today, was one of the most devastating military conflicts in the history of human warfare. The war involved the majority of the world’s great powers who were assembled into two different alliances: The Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente. The Triple Alliance consisted of Austria – Hungary, Germany and Italy and the Triple Entente contained Britain, France and Russia. Over 15 million people died during this war, thus making it one of the deadliest wars to ever take place.

The war had highly developed technology in Great Britain and many other countries. During the Great War, many new weapons were developed and had been used for the first time by both sides. So, this left many soldiers unfamiliar with the equipment they were using. However, it was not long before that thought had turned into something completely opposite. This essay will go into full detail involving the contribution of technology in the war, alongside other factors which contributed to the victory for the Triple Entente. Finally, all this information will be followed by a conclusion where my opinion will be summed up.  

One of the greatest impacts of new technology during this war was the use of tanks. Tanks were first manufactured in Lincoln for World War One; at first, they were decided upon having a military function – to break the stalemate. However, as time passed by, it was later discovered that tanks could be used in a completely different way – propaganda. They made their first appearance on the battlefield in September 1916. Upon meeting the Germans, they were in full shock – scared of such a machine. They had no idea as to what it was – just an image in front them, getting nearer and nearer by the second. They also crushed through any barbed wire in their way.

German troops just kept on firing away the tank, unaware that the bullets bounced off – much hotter than when it had left the gun. At the time, it was invincible (considering Germans had never seen it before and had no idea whatsoever on how to overcome this problem) and therefore, made a successful attack. Another good aspect of the tank was that if the tank got struck, a plank could be thrown in front to help grip it back on track. Moreover, the tank had a net to prevent grenades from being thrown in. It was said: “Tanks changed an active war to a mobile war.” Due to all these advantages, it was relatively easy to kill the Germans.

Furthermore, tanks were used for propaganda. Firstly and foremost, immediately after the invention, people back home began to believe it was something that could potentially win the war. Therefore, positive morale was created. What’s more, people relied on newspapers for news which led to people being given the wrong information on some occasions. In addition, the government decided to set up tank banks and piggy banks were made. In the first week, a massive £25,000 was made and that is nothing but a strong indication of the amount of propaganda being fed. People were also patriotic, but nothing like that had ever been thought of - £25,000 to support the war!

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Despite they were successful, however, tanks are also known for their problems. One famous example is at the battle of Somme when 49 tanks were sent to fight. Only 32 were ready for conflict – 18 fought, 5 got stuck and 9 more broke down. Problems were a factor from the start – they were inevitable.

Likewise, the British sent 400 tanks forward but they were sent back because they couldn’t manage to hold ground. They needed to dig in but didn’t. So, all of the advancing was in vain. It was later said that tanks can’t hold ...

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