“The Deadliest Instrument of Warfare Yet Devised”: Teaching the Consequences of New Technology in the First World War

New technology completely transformed the First World War. It changed how generals waged war and contributed to the development of new tactics. According to the AP World History framework, “new military technology led to increased levels of wartime casualties.” From a distance of over a century, this phrase can feel rather sanitized to today’s students. When teaching about new military technology, we want to help students understand how deadly it seemed at the time. While Europeans had regularly used new military technology in their African and Asian colonies, the First World War was the first time many Europeans experienced it firsthand.

The Sources