Chemical Warfare in World War 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chemical Warfare in World War 1 - Essay Example World War I saw the development of weapons, which were deadlier to a degree than had never before been expected. Among the deadliest weapons that had never been used before were the 420 mm guns, which the Germans used to bombard France from Liege, Belgium. This led the countries to look for developing deadlier weapons with the help of their intellectuals, as it was clear that weapons would greatly determine the countries that won the war. (Hilmas, Smart & Hill 14). Therefore, as expected, deadlier weapons were developed by the countries. However, the deadliest and most inhumane of all the weapons developed was the poisonous gas, which was made by the German genius and Nobel laureate Fritz Haber (Bosco, Bosco & Bowman 38). Poisonous gas Prior to the World War I, several European countries including Germany, France and Britain had signed a treaty known as the Hague Convention on war on land in 1907 which forbid the use of poisonous gas in war. However, this did not deter the use of poi sonous gases in World War I (Stoltzenberg 151). Germany first used chemical weapons on British and Indian troops in 1914. Berlin was triggered to use chemical weapons after France had used on them. The chemical weapon used by the Germans was dianisidine chlorosulphonate, a chemical that causes irritation to the mucus membrane (Hilmas, Smart & Hill 14). However, the use of chemical weapons, which lead to widespread outcry by the rest of the world, was by Fritz Haber. (Hilmas, Smart & Hill 14).