What Role Does Industry And Economy Play In Enabling Victory Before World War 1 Essay

What Role does Industry and Economy play in Enabling Victory before World War I?

To a certain degree, it could be argued industry and economy did play an important role in enabling victory before World War I; this is mainly evident in the American Civil war where industry and economy were perhaps the most important factor in securing victory for the confederate states. In contrast, there were similarly other factors which enabled victory before World War I such as tactics, this is evident in the Prussian wars of unification where Prussia won due to good strategy despite their lacking technological advantage.

The American Civil War was a civil war which took place in the United States of America during the years of 1861–1865 due to the mixed

However, they lacked manufacturing capabilities. The North on the other hand did have a strong industry and their economy was thriving. It could be argued that due to the strong economy the North was able to secure a victory as they were able to sustain the mass production of weapons, something the south could not do. Therefore, one could infer that the American civil war was won due to industrial and economic strength of the northern Confederate states.

The Crimean war was a major example of an industrial war which was fought between the major powers and it displayed landmark new technology in the development of modern warfare. Although the war was limited there were many aspect of it which was fought amphibiously this showcased the industrial developments in new technology at sea such as the Ironclad ships and explosive shells which gave the French a superior advantage compared to the wooden vessels that other countries were using. In turn this helped France to secure a victory before World War I. The reason that France was able

With increased size of armies and greater range and speed of movement made possible by the railways, the Prussians were the first to realise the necessity of evolutionary tactics and a strong industry. Railways and Telegraph recognised as being an important part of Prussian war planning: In Austria 250,000 forces delivered by 5 separate railway lines along 300 miles targeting enemy positions. Other that the railways giving them Prussians a strategic advantage, new weapons were developed to give them a strength advantage. However, this did always work out. New French breech-loading rifle (the chassepot) and early machine gun the mitrailleuse was able to be developed due to the strong French economy which gave the French twice the range and firepower than the Russians. Nevertheless, due to poor organisation many French troops did not know how to use their weapons to their advantage. For this reason, the Prussians were able to practise strong strategy and organisation in order to secure victory in the war. Therefore, it could be argued that industry and economy are not the most important factors at enable victory as they can be overshadowed by other factors such as strong planning and tactics. The Prussians understood that good Leadership is vital, the French had potentially greater defence and firepower but poor