How Warfare Has Changed Throughout European History : 3D Gallery

Ancient Times

Warfare in the ancient times were very different compared to the warfare now. They were not very advanced but their advancements led to the warfares and techniques we have today.

Armies in the ancient times were highly trained. The strongest known army of the time is the Spartan army. The soldiers were grouped into a Phalanx. A Phalanx is a certain formation of people. The people used spears and shields and wore almost 70 pounds of armor. They developed siege towers, crossbows, catapults, and ships for war. Some armies even used war elephants to trample over the people. War during the ancient times was a respectful act and there were war manners unlike the present.

Middle Ages

Armies in the ancient times were highly trained. The strongest known army of the time is the Spartan army. The soldiers were grouped into a Phalanx. A Phalanx is a certain formation of people. The people used spears and shields and wore almost 70 pounds of armor and used cavalry. They developed siege towers, crossbows, catapults, and ships for war. Some armies even used war elephants to trample over the people. War during the ancient times was a respectful act and there were war manners unlike the present.

Renaissance & Reformation

The battles of the middle ages were mostly fought on land however unlike in the ancient times when the Carthaginians fought using ships. Vikings were the main conquerors and they sailed to other lands and took over. They wore armor and used shields and long spears like the ancient people did. Not many offensive weapons were created but many defensive technology was developed. Ancient techniques were forgotten because of the faults it came with. The middle ages armies fought mostly with cavalry. The cavalry fought first but became useless once into the battle. Then the soldiers fought face to face and used weapons such as catapults and crossbows for distance fighting. The defensive techniques were more developed in this time period

Age of Absolutism

During the age of absolutism, there is only one ruler who has control over aspect of life. The ruler creates an army to conquer and protect land, weakens other people's power, controlled religious authorities, and could create their own laws. In the past, the armies would be created forcing men to temporarily be in the army till the war was over. However, absolutism changed this and ever since there were only men who wanted to fight in the army fighting. The only goal in fighting was to conquer other lands and fight against revolts.

The Englightenment

The Enlightenment, like the Renaissance, was a peaceful time period where there was no war. There were still arguments however but people fought using their philosophies and beliefs. Enlightenment thinkers believed that the government, economy, and society must change because of their theories and beliefs on humanity. No one in this time period reacted violently towards one another and physically fought each other because of different opinions.

The Age of Revolutions

Many people have died in this time period and there were many wars started because of anger, hatred, and people were not content with their country. The use of the guillotine appeared in the age of revolutions. The guillotine was seen to be a humane way of executing people because it was supposedly painless. The age of revolutions was a very bloody period full of wars.

The World War I

During World War I, the use of tanks, machine guns, trenches, poison gas, and submarines were seen. These new weapons caused even more deaths and allowed newer techniques to be put into use.

In this war there were more sneak attacks than in the past because of the new technology such as the submarines. In ancient wars, sneak attacks were something inevitable because it was impossible to attack without getting found out. There were many new techniques formed such as the Schlieffen Plan, which was to attack as quick as possible and retreat. The trenches were a major part of world war I. The trenches were very unsanitary and dangerous to be in but they were a huge technique that the two fronts used. Soldiers would hide in these trenches and attack others without getting attacked. The land in between the trenches was called the "no man zone" because anyone who stood on that land would immediately get killed. The new weapon and technology developed in this war marked the change of how the wars are fought

The Interwar

In this period, there was no significant different weapon that was developed. There were better and more lighter guns created but no other new weapons developed. In the past, mass killings and killing innocent people was something looked down upon because it wasn't fair. From the interwar to the present, many innocent lives were taken because of corrupt leaders who take power with weapons. The use of war and weapons was more to gain power and control through fear, rather than conquer.

World War II

World War II was even more advanced than World War I. The use of fighter planes, bomber planes, radar, sonar, and tanks allowed more techniques to be used.

Fighter planes were more accurate and efficient than the planes used in world war I. Bomber planes were planes that dropped bombs onto certain areas. The main difference between World War II and World War I were the use of bombs. Radar and Sonar were used to detect enemy planes, vehicles, and submarines to prevent invasions and counterattack. The tanks used in world war II were also far more faster and more efficient than the ones in world war I. In this war, there were mostly all strategic sneak attacks rather than head on battles like in the past.

Post World war II-Present

After World War II, the threat of nuclear weapons became a big issue. Nuclear weapons could cause mass destructions and countries were said to have them and possibly use them such as North Korea. Nuclear weapons have been used and it left a devastating mark. The US has used nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Present war compared to the past changed significantly. In the past, war was very fair and there was a whole procedure to declaring war. However, in the present, fightings happen everywhere and things lead up to war rather than starting war to gain benefit.

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How Warfare Has Changed Throughout European History