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The Pros And Cons Of Chemical Warfare

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Chemical warfare is the use of harmful chemicals as a weapon, these chemicals can be asphyxiating, poisonous, corrosive, flammable, etc..Chemical warfare was first used during World War One on April 22, 1915 in Ypres, Belgium by German forces. The Germans dropped over 150 tons of chlorine gas, also called bertholite,with the use of artillery bombardment against French Colonial Divisions in Ypres (Second). This first use of chemical warfare proved to be very effective by causing mass panic in the French Colonial Divisions and forced soldiers to retreat and regroup back in Ypres. Following this attack, the British and French began to create and develope their own chemical weapons in response to Germany. At the end of the first World War over 124,000 tonnes of various chemical weapons had been used resulting in more than one million casualties and 90,000 fatalities (History). Although chemical warfare killed and …show more content…

One advantage of chemical weapons is its accessibility. Chemical weapons can easily be made and its ingredients can also be easily found, the cost of these weapons is also much cheaper and affordable when compared to conventional weapons. The low cost also allows for chemical weapons to be produced in very large amounts. As shown in World War One chemical warfare was effective at forcing opposing armies to retreat but was not effective in the amount of deaths caused by it, only killing less than 1 % of fatalities in World War One. Chemical weapons are also very difficult to use because of how slight changes in the environment ,wind, temperature, etc. can greatly hinder the performance of these weapons (Are). The method of deploying chemical weapons onto the battlefield also obstruct its effectiveness, as most chemical weapons are deployed through the use of rockets and artilleries destroys large portions of the weapon

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The first world war is known to be one of the harshest wars in history for many reasons. One of those reasons is the unleashing of terrifying new weapons, gas weapons. Dangerous chemicals and gases have been used as weapons since thousands of years ago, though it was until World War 1 where the first large-scale of them was used. Battles normally ended in a draw, which prompted finding new fighting strategies. Four main kinds of gases were used; tear, chlorine, phosgene, and mustard (I, n.d.).

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It is more focused on conveying the views of individuals and their political ramifications, rather than confronting the facts that were brought to lights only a year earlier by the same publication. This kind of writing is detrimental to history, because it chooses to skew the reader to one side rather than show both sides of the argument. Only a year earlier another author by the name of C.J. Chivers also wrote an article for the New York Times titled The Secret Casualties of Iraq’s Abandoned Chemical Weapons which took first hand accounts of soldiers running into caches of chemical weapons buried in Iraq that date back to Saddam’s reign. In this article it states there are at the least six incidents in which soldier came into contact with chemical weapons caches and needed to be brought into a hospital for treatment.

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In World War One in the trenches, gas was introduced and made the warfare much more brutal. The treatment after getting poison gas was terrible. They were thrown right back into the fight afterwards. Private Albert John Carpenter said “Gas shell came over, did not get my gas mask on quick enough. Sent to the field hospital.

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This was a major part of the battle because many soldiers didn’t understand this weapon causing the defensive soldiers win. Another significant element of the battle is that it was Canada’s first crucial battle. It was given the nickname “Canada’s Baptism in Fire” because the second battle of Ypres was known as the worst battle in World War 1. After the battle, the French and British began to make their own gas bombs and masks. Even though the Germans had a less significant battle, it was still significant because there was the release of chlorine gas.

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Chemical warfare was very dangerous and caused many deaths in WW1. There were three different types of gases used in battle mustard, chlorine, and tear gas which was the least deadly. Western nations had a treaty against poisonous weapons but the british broke the treaty when they deployed tear gas on german soldiers. Soon after German soldiers struck back with chlorine gas, which was very deadly if exposed to lungs or eyes. The french allies did not expect nor know how to prepare for a gas attacks.

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It was used to damage forest area, the leaves, and crops where Vietcong troops were hiding. Agent Orange made it easier for United States troops to see what was going on. In the end, “Many would blame Agent Orange for cancers suffered by Vietnamese civilians and American veterans” (Danzer 945). Since Agent Orange contains dioxin, a deadly chemical, it caused many severe health problems worldwide. “They included cancers, birth defects, rashes, and severe psychological and neurological problems” (“Agent Orange 1”).

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In the Vietnam War, Agent Orange was one of the factors that led to the death of innocent people. The U.S. was arguing that Agent Orange is not a chemical or a biological weapon because it was considered as a herbicide and a defoliant. Americans put forward such a claim in order to justify themselves, and said that their main aim was to destroy plant crops to debar the enemy from cover and they didn’t mean to target human beings. (Schuck, 1987. p.19)

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Chemical weapons are weapons that are used to induce mass destruction to many victims leaving them in a state of agony often resulting in death. Gas masks are used to provide some protection for the chemicals. Next, the destruction of the chemical weapon was very vast as can be seen through the death and the environmental changes. Chemical weapons may be any toxic chemical that can cause death, injury, temporary incapacitation or sensory irritation through its chemical action. In Remarque’s

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As mentioned before, WWI was the first time Mustard gas was used in warfare. “The gas cleared large sections of soldiers from the front lines, who fled once exposed, and ultimately killed 5,000 opposing troops. Chlorine gas burns the throats of its victims and causes death by as­phyxiation, much like smoke kills people during a house fire” (Briggs). During the battle, mists and fumes were everywhere. Horses although were unaffected by this, and the German riders wore gas masks in order to breathe.

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The availability and use of various drugs during this period of conflict changed the face of war, introducing a whole new level of warfare (Bagatur, 2018). From drug-induced psychological warfare to medications for physical injuries, drugs significantly impacted how World War Two was fought. During World War Two, a variety of drugs were used by both the Allied and Axis forces. These drugs were used for various purposes, including psychological warfare, physical injury treatment, and general health maintenance. To understand the impact of drugs during this period, it is important to look at the types of drugs used in World War

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The French were the first to use gas during the war. In August 1914, the French used grenades filled with tear gas to attack the Germans. In 1915, the Germans began to use chlorine. The first gas considered lethal. Mustard gas became a significant source of dread for soldiers as simple exposure to it could burn flesh and could also cause massive blisters.

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According to WorldAtlas.com, the use of these chemicals in the Vietnam War created the second worst chemical warfare event in history, second only to an event in 600 BCE. In an article stating the top 10 worst chemical warfare events in history World Atlas justifies the Vietnam War being the second worst with, “Agent Orange itself breaks down within a week, as a result producing a compound called dioxin. Dioxin lingers in some conditions for up to 100 years and is estimated by the Vietnamese government to have caused up to 400,000 deaths, and 1.5 million birth defects.” The backlash to the use of these chemicals was huge, and the U.S. government was the main target for supporting the production and use of these disliked weapons. After they were exposed for using these chemicals, even more people opposed the war and the US’ decisions.

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One way of warfare during WWI was chemical warfare. Chemical warfare was first used when gas was just released from large cylinders and carried by the air and wind into enemy lines. This eventually evolved and other gases were loaded into the shells The shells were then blasted into other enemies trenches and forts. People did wear gas masks to try and protect themselves from the gases but soldiers could not fight as hard with a gas mask on their face. Another type of warfare used during World War I was trench warfare.

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