War Fare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

War Fare - Essay Example Accordingly, trench warfare, a particularly brutal type of warfare undertaken in armed trenches, and resulting in huge human casualties and loss of life, was a key feature of the battles which occurred as part of the First World War. Difficult conditions coupled with widespread disease and poor sanitation were features of this insidious type of armed conflict. Seeking to explore the devastation which occurred as a result of trench warfare during World War One, this essay will analyze the conditions of trench combat, the types of disease prevalent throughout the trenches and will explore how British soldiers endured fighting under these inhospitable conditions. We begin now with an overview of the preconditions which led to one of the most traumatic episodes in world history. There were a variety of important preconditions to the emergence of the conflict, which up until that date, had been the largest that the world had ever seen. The First World War represented the dueling alliances of the Triple Entente - composed of Britain, France and Russia – and the Triple Alliance – comprised of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. Pre-conditions are best described as the precursors to conflict and there were many underlying long-term causes for the belligerent behaviour of the states of Europe in 1914. An arms race, underway for years, and growing at a rapid pace just prior to the emergence of the First World War set the stage for violent conflict between the major states of the region. Accordingly, the arms race occurring at the time exacerbated the global balance of power and led to an increased likelihood of aggressive behavior between the armies of Europe. As the European armies grew and competed with one another for size, manpower and prestige, the naval race between German and Britain contributed to a partition of the major states of the continent into two