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A comment on What World War I Can Teach Us about Misjudging Tech and Social Change (2020). Parent comment

Re:What World War I Can Teach Us about Misjudging Tech and S... by inglor_cz on Thursday February 18, 2021 @04:05AM (#26177590)
Interestingly, the trench war episodes during the Russo-Japanese war (siege of Port Arthur) were a good demo-version of the Western Front ten years later.

The observers from the West were very clear in their warnings towards the General Staff back home that the combination of barbed wire and rapid firepower was massively deadly and led to stalemates. Also, that cavalry was becoming outright obsolete in such conditions.

They were mostly ignored because they were young.

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Re:What World War I Can Teach Us about Misjudging Tech and S... by tomasdore on Thursday February 18, 2021 @08:23AM (#26179498)
There just wasn't another way in sight. Everyone knew what didn't work. Nobody knew what did. The tech wasn't yet there for tanks - those that were built for WW1 looked impressive but changed little, like bringing elephants to a battle.
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Re:What World War I Can Teach Us about Misjudging Tech and S... by inglor_cz on Thursday February 18, 2021 @11:29AM (#26181854)
Unfortunately the belligerent parties were all too good in propaganda for their own sake.

Even if the war was going nowhere, the civilian population was whipped into such hatred of the other that "old fashioned" peace talks just weren't on the table.

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