What made ww1 so horrible?

One of the saddest facts about World War I is that millions died needlessly because military and civilian leaders were slow to adapt their old-fashioned strategies and tactics to the new weapons of 1914. New technology made war more horrible and more complex than ever before.

What made World War 1 so horrible?

The loss of life was greater than in any previous war in history, in part because militaries were using new technologies, including tanks, airplanes, submarines, machine guns, modern artillery, flamethrowers, and poison gas.

Why did people not like ww1?

However, trade unions feared that their members might be replaced by cheaper foreign or female labour and opposed conscription. Some groups argued that the whole war was immoral, and it was unjust to force people to fight. In Australia, women had full rights to vote which was then rare.

Is ww1 the worst war in history?

The total number of military and civilian casualties in World War I was about 40 million: estimates range from around 15 to 22 million deaths and about 23 million wounded military personnel, ranking it among the deadliest conflicts in human history.

Why were the trenches so horrible?

Though trenches offered some protection, they were still incredibly dangerous, as soldiers easily became trapped or killed because of direct hits from artillery fire.

Why the Trenches Were the Most Dangerous Job in WW1

What were the horrors of WW1?

Many aspects of the Western Front have become symbolic of World War I: mud-filled trenches, artillery bombardments, appalling tactical blunders, futile charges on enemy positions, periods of stalemate, high death rates and atrocious conditions.

What were the horrors of WW1 trenches?

Rats and lice tormented the troops by day and night. Oversized rats, bloated by the food and waste of stationary armies, helped spread disease and were a constant irritant. In 1918, doctors also identified lice as the cause of trench fever, which plagued the troops with headaches, fevers, and muscle pain.

What was the saddest war in history?

World War II (1938-1945) – With a death toll between 40 and 85 million, the Second World War was the deadliest and worst war in history. Experts estimate with such a high death toll, about three percent of the world's population in 1940 died.

What were the odds of dying in ww1?

About one to every 10,000 men. With one exception – I'll speak about that later – there has been no widespread disease among the armies on the western front. This is a splendid record. In our previous wars thousands of soldiers died in hospitals without ever seeing action.

What was more brutal ww1 or ww2?

World War II was the most destructive war in history. Estimates of those killed vary from 35 million to 60 million. The total for Europe alone was 15 million to 20 million—more than twice as many as in World War I.

Why did Americans not support WWI?

When WWI began in Europe in 1914, many Americans wanted the United States to stay out of the conflict, supporting President Woodrow Wilson's policy of strict and impartial neutrality. “The United States must be neutral in fact as well as in name during these days that are to try men's souls.

Was ww1 an unnecessary war?

World War I has been called unnecessary because the original dispute that triggered the conflict was limited, yet it triggered a massive, global war.

Can you refuse to go to war?

A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion.

What did soldiers say was so wrong with the trenches?

Disease and 'shell shock' were rampant in the trenches.

Trench mouth, a type of gum infection, was also problematic and is thought to be associated with the stress of nonstop bombardment.

What was the worst effect of ww1?

A: It changed the world. It led to the Russian Revolution, the collapse of the German Empire and the collapse of the Hapsburg Monarchy, and it led to the restructuring of the political order in Europe and in other parts of the world, particularly in the Middle East.

What were the most cruel war crimes of ww1?

After exhaustive investigating, the commission found Kaiser Wilhelm and his uniformed aristocrats directly answerable on over twenty charges of war crimes, the top five being the massacre of civilians, the killing of hostages, the torture of civilians, the starvation of civilians, and rape.

What was the #1 cause of death in WWI?

The casualties suffered by the participants in World War I dwarfed those of previous wars: some 8,500,000 soldiers died as a result of wounds and/or disease. The greatest number of casualties and wounds were inflicted by artillery, followed by small arms, and then by poison gas.

Are any WWI veterans still alive?

The last combat veteran was Claude Choules, who served in the British Royal Navy (and later the Royal Australian Navy) and died 5 May 2011, aged 110. The last veteran who served in the trenches was Harry Patch (British Army), who died on 25 July 2009, aged 111.

What war lost the most American lives?

The American Civil War is the conflict with the largest number of American military fatalities in history. In fact, the Civil War's death toll is comparable to all other major wars combined, the deadliest of which were the World Wars, which have a combined death toll of more than 520,000 American fatalities.

What is the easiest war in history?

The little known Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896 is generally considered to be the shortest war in history, lasting for a grand total of 38 minutes.

Which war is the most cruel?

What was the worst humiliation in war?

The worst was Pearl Harbor, where 2300 Americans died and much of the Pacific fleet sank. Then the Philippines, an American protectorate, were conquered and the American army taken captive. The next great humiliation was the quick fall of American-backed, funded and armed Nationalist China to Mao's communists.

What was the scariest battle in ww1?

The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles of World War I, and among the bloodiest in all of human history. A combination of a compact battlefield, destructive modern weaponry and several failures by British military leaders led to the unprecedented slaughter of wave after wave of young men.

What was the biggest killer in the trenches?

In his book Trench: A History of Trench Warfare on the Western Front (2010), Stephen Bull concluded that in the western front, artillery was the biggest killer, responsible for “two-thirds of all deaths and injuries.” Of this total, perhaps a third resulted in death, two-thirds in injuries.

Were soldiers scared in the trenches?

Trenches were dirty, smelly and rampant with disease. For soldiers, life in the trenches meant living in fear. In fear of diseases like cholera and trench foot. And, of course, the constant fear of enemy attack.