How did Europeans come to see warfare in a different light because of World War 1?
Gone were the days of honor when great armies marched into battle in open fields until one was routed by rifle fire or cavalry charges. World War One unleashed the weapons of mass destruction. The machine gun, poison gas and tanks quickly created a number of casualties in minutes that before had taken weeks. This was our first taste of the horrors of trench warfare, which in itself was devastating to the morale of the troops involved. Even the once peaceful skies were now filled with men in flying machines attempting to destroy each other, or raining down explosives on those below. War was now capable of untold slaughter of soldiers and civilians. The Europeans knew that war had grown a new face and it was far from pretty. This may account for some of the hesitations in finally engaging Hitlers forces, which began World War Two.
