Title: How did technology affect the way WWI was fought? - eNotes.com
Headings: How did technology affect the way WWI was fought?
World War I
How did technology affect the way WWI was fought?
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Content: In order to break the stalemate, both sides turned to poison gas, first chlorine gas, then mustard. Both sides also used tanks; however, tank technology was quite primitive and generals were not able to follow through on tank advances with men to occupy the captured trenches. Both sides also used airplanes, first as scouting and reconnaissance vehicles but later as devices to carry bombs, making them killing machines in their own right. The Germans famously used dirigibles to drop bombs on London--this would foreshadow major bombing runs against the British capital in the next world war. Approved by eNotes Editorial Team
Isabell Schimmel
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Technology affected the way that World War I was fought because it pretty much caused the infamous trench warfare to happen. The machine gun, especially, made it very easy for defenders to kill large numbers of soldiers who were attacking them. As long as the defenders were dug in, the machine guns could slaughter advancing soldiers. At this time, there was nothing that could really allow the offense to maneuver easily around dug in defenses. So, the machine gun caused defensive, trench warfare to be necessary.