World War I: Poison Gas
Poison Gas
There were many small things that eventually caused World War I. The spark that started the First World War was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 (Duffy). The killing was blamed on the Serbians, making the Austrian-Hungarians declare war on them. Russia was bound to a treaty with Serbia so it made Russia have to step in. Because Russia stepped in, more and more countries had to get involved due to being allies or having a treaty with one of the involved countries. Some of the big powers that fought each other were Austria-Hungary, Russia, Serbia, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Canada, United States, Bulgaria, The Ottoman Empire, and Japan. Several other smaller powers were also included in this disastrous event. The Central Powers were made up Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria. The Allies included the United States, Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan, Serbia, France, Canada, and many others. The war officially started on July 28th, 1914 (Duffy). Many assortments of weapons were used in this catastrophic war. Some included rifles, planes, tanks, machine guns, Zeppelins, and torpedoes. Many people said the machine gun was the most effective weapon. It caused armies to completely change their tactics and made many soldiers suffer (Weapons). The planes were another valuable weapon. They were able to spy on enemy positions and gave the coordinates for the artillery to fire at. Planes would even go over enemy bases and would drop grenades that caused great damage. These two weapons were said to make or break either side, but there was also a third weapon that was key to have and use in World War I (Weapons). This weapon was unlike anything else used in any previous wars in the history of the entire planet. The weapon causing devastation on both sides was known as poison gas. The first poison gas attack was by the French, but it was usually assumed
There were many small things that eventually caused World War I. The spark that started the First World War was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 (Duffy). The killing was blamed on the Serbians, making the Austrian-Hungarians declare war on them. Russia was bound to a treaty with Serbia so it made Russia have to step in. Because Russia stepped in, more and more countries had to get involved due to being allies or having a treaty with one of the involved countries. Some of the big powers that fought each other were Austria-Hungary, Russia, Serbia, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Canada, United States, Bulgaria, The Ottoman Empire, and Japan. Several other smaller powers were also included in this disastrous event. The Central Powers were made up Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria. The Allies included the United States, Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan, Serbia, France, Canada, and many others. The war officially started on July 28th, 1914 (Duffy). Many assortments of weapons were used in this catastrophic war. Some included rifles, planes, tanks, machine guns, Zeppelins, and torpedoes. Many people said the machine gun was the most effective weapon. It caused armies to completely change their tactics and made many soldiers suffer (Weapons). The planes were another valuable weapon. They were able to spy on enemy positions and gave the coordinates for the artillery to fire at. Planes would even go over enemy bases and would drop grenades that caused great damage. These two weapons were said to make or break either side, but there was also a third weapon that was key to have and use in World War I (Weapons). This weapon was unlike anything else used in any previous wars in the history of the entire planet. The weapon causing devastation on both sides was known as poison gas. The first poison gas attack was by the French, but it was usually assumed
Cited: Ferro, Marc. The Great War 1914-1918. Paris: Editions Gallimard, 1969. Print.