Term Paper on "Weapons of Mass Destruction Before the Atomic Bomb"

Term Paper 8 pages (2438 words) Sources: 10 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Weapons of Mass Destruction Before the Invention of the Atomic Bomb

The term 'weapons of mass destruction' was allegedly first used in a report by the London Times in 1937. The report was a description of a German air force attack on the town of Guernica in Spain which "... destroyed 70% of the town and killed a third of its population." (Origin of the Phrase Weapons of Mass Destruction) the phrase that was used in the report of the London Times on December 28, 1937, is as follows: " Who can think without horror of what another widespread war would mean, waged as it would be with all the new weapons of mass destruction?." (Who coined the term "weapons of mass destruction"?)

After the Second World War the term was later used describe to threat of atomic weapons during the Cold War. In more recent times the term weapons of mass destruction has evoked images of the hydrogen bomb and refers to biological, chemical, and radiological weapons. (Who coined the term "weapons of mass destruction"?)

However while the term and its usage is relatively new in modern history, the reality of the creation and use of weapons of mass destruction is something that can be traced back through the history of human civilization.

In the modern era the term weapons of mass destruction has come to mean or refer to weapons that have the capability of destroying people and property on a large and indiscriminate scale.

Part of the effect and purpose of these weapons is to create a climate of threat and terror with the aim of achieving militarily victory. In some instances, such as the First World War, weapons of mass destruction are simply used as a means of attrition and to reduce the number so the enemy. Our contemporary sense of the meaning of this term is associated with the awesome and indiscriminate threat of nuclear weapons.

More recently the fear of biological weapons of mass destruction has become a focus of modern warfare.

The truth is that even biological weapons of mass destruction are not totally new in the history of human warfare and destruction. There are records, stories and myths of the use of biological weapons of mass destruction that killed large numbers of people in the past and there are even suggestions that the Black Plague was initiated by the use of biological means to destroy an enemy. This paper will present a brief overview of the range and types of weapons of mass destruction that were used in human history before the advent of the nuclear bomb.

2. A Brief history of weapons of mass destruction

One aspect that is constant in the study of weapons of mass destruction is that the development of these weapons is closely linked to and dependent on technology. The various technological eras of human development allow for the creation and incentive for more and more advanced methods of destruction and killing. For example, an archeological discovery that was made near Mosul in the Middle East was of scorpions being used as a method of poisoning the enemy. According to the research, clay pots were once "... filled with scorpions and dropped on the heads of invaders by the citizens of Hatra at the turn of the third century." (WMD: They're History) This was an instance of the use of chemical weapons against the enemy in an indiscriminate way to inflict maximum casualties. This may not be as dramatic as the nuclear bomb but it provides evidence of the way that humanity has used the technology at hand and 'weaponized" it to create mass destruction among an enemy.

There are those who argue that the origins of weapons of mass destruction go back to the first human hunters and the invention of the bow and arrow. This was the first step on the technological ladder of the development of more powerful weapons to kill at a distance and relatively indiscriminately, without having to directly confront the enemy. However the pre-modern history of weapons of mass destruction is more commonly associated with the development of biological and chemical weapons.

2.1. The development of biological weapons of mass destruction.

There are many records as far back as the Early Middle Ages providing evidence of the use of weapons of mass destruction that targeted the people rather than the soldiers of the enemy. There is also a line of development in the history of weapons that shows a clear link between the technologies of the time and the types and the effectiveness of the weapons that were created. " the weapon of choice against a civilian enemy became biological, then chemical and nuclear, as soon as scientific advancement and technological development made them available." (Rebehn M.)

There are many references to the use of biological weapons that killed on a large scale in the annals of ancient history.

For instance, in a play written by Sophocles in 404 B.C.E. entitled Philoctetes, the author describes the main character as "...wounded by a poisoned arrow on his way to the Trojan War." (Johnson T.J.) a Greek Historian in the fifth century, Herodotus, describes the use of poison tipped arrows by the Scythians archers of the Black Sea. According to this source;

Scythians used the decomposed bodies of several venomous adders indigenous to their region, mixed human blood and dung into sealed vessels and buried this mixture until it was sufficiently putrefied. This poison would certainly contain the bacteria of gangrene and tetanus (Clostridium perfringins and Clostridium tetani) while the venom would attack red blood cells, nervous system and could even induce respiratory paralysis. A Scythian archer had a range of over 1,600 feet and could launch about twenty arrows per minute.

Johnson T.J.)

While the above example does not equate with the modern view of a weapon of mass destruction, yet this is still an early instance of the use of biological means and the technology of the time to create optimum destruction. In reality it is only a matter of the degree of technological advance that separates the use of poison arrow from the more destructive the use of mustard gas and toxins in World War One and other more modern wars.

Another example from the ancient and pre-technological past of weapons of mass destruction was the use of poisoned water in the siege of the Athens by the Spartans in the Peloponnesian War. This poison resulted in an epidemic that killed thousands of Athenians. These events are described by the historian Thucydides, who wrote between 431 B.C. And 404 B.C. (Johnson T.J.)

Yet another example of the use of the technology of the time to create weapons of mass destruction was the use of bio-warfare by the famous leader of the Cathagian Army, Hannibal. In 190 B.C. He won a naval battle against Eumenes II of Pergomon by using bio-warfare techniques.

Hannibal had earthen jars filled with venomous snakes, covered and taken on board his ships. When the enemy ships came within range, the earthen jars with the snakes were hurled at the enemy vessels where they broke discharging their terrifying occupants among the enemy sailors. The resulting chaos was effective and Hannibal won easily

Johnson T.J.)

The development of weapons of mass destruction has also been associated with terror and the use of psychological warfare. A famous example of this combination is the outbreak of bubonic plague instigated by the Tartar army who besieged the city of Kaffa in the 14th Century. In this historic event the Tartars '"...catapulted bodies of plague victims over the walls of Kaffa in an attempt to initiate an epidemic upon the residents." (Johnson T.J.)

The defenders of the city subsequently contracted the plague and were forced to abandon the city. It is also suggest that as a result of this action the bubonic plague was transported to Europe by the fleeing people. "The surviving Genoese returned to Italy via their ships and most likely brought the plague to Europe. In October of 1347, the merchant ships docked in Genoa. The Genoese ships must have had stowaways -- rats. The rats with their fleas disembarked and proceeded to change the face of Europe forever." (Johnson T.J.)

The events that followed were to affect Europe and much of the population. The death toll as a result of the plague in Europe was approximately 25 million out of a total population of 40 million. "Fully one third of the residents of Florence died in the first six months and 45%-75% in a single year. Venice lost 60% of its populace over the year and a half that the epidemic raged. Death was so rampant that the pope had to consecrate the Rhone River so corpses could be dumped into it. "(History of Epidemics and Plagues)

There are many other instances in early history of the use made of biological methods of destruction and even near-extermination. A further example is from 1518 when the Aztec… READ MORE

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