War is a state of organized, armed and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties. It is known have extreme aggression and causes high mortality and great damage. War has existed since the beginning of mankind and continues to evolve as humans get smarter and more advance.
In the prehistoric era, before writing was founded and before the establishment of large social entities, war already existed. Some tribal societies lead lives of great violence, frequently raiding neighbouring groups and seizing territory, women, and goods from others by force. One of their earliest weapons was spears coupled with ambush hunting techniques. These spears were usually made of stone or flint attached to the shaft using gum, resin or leather stripes. The spears had a clear distinction between those meant for throwing and those for hand-to-hand combat. Other weapons used included clubs and sling shorts. One of the reasons for war could be the need for agricultural land. As their farming technology was very limited, only fertile soil which was also limited was fought f0r.
Next was the Iron Age. During this period great improvements in technology have been seen as humans learn to harness metals such as copper, iron and bronze to be used as weapons. Maces replaced wooden clubs. Swords, metal pike and metal shields were also invented. The importance of iron in the development of ancient warfare lay not in its strength or ability to hold a sharp edge. Iron's importance rested in the fact that unlike bronze, which required the use of relatively rare tin to manufacture, iron was commonly and widely available almost everywhere. As weapons could be produced more cheaply, armies increased in size with a corollary increase in their destructive power, which further produced larger and larger battles resulting in higher and higher casualty rates. The Iron Age was also a time when castles were built.
Then, in the late 15th Century, came a breakthrough: the invention of gunpowder. Gunpowder is an explosive which consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate. The invention gunpowder gave way to many deadlier weapons, for example: the cannon. A cannon was a large barrel capable of propelling a massive object (cannon ball) using the explosive reaction of gunpowder. The stone walls of castles were no match for the power of the cannon, thus the cannon ended the age of castles and marked the start of a new era of warfare.
Apart from gunpowder, there were other inventions. Naval mines and submarines were developed. Bayonets developed for hand-to-hand combats. The Howitzer, a kind of artillery, was invented and had a far greater range. The rifle was also upgraded in many ways. The bullets, which were originally round, became sharper in design. In the 19th Century, the machine gun arrived. Torpedoes were created as weapons for and against submarines. The list of improvements is endless.
Finally, this brings us to modern warfare which we now see today. Modern warfare is an era of high technology warfare. One of the most notable difference in modern warfare was the presence air force. The fact that air can be used as a terrain turned war from 2 dimensional to a complicated 3 dimensional one. Warfare using the air was deadly due to its element of surprise. A plane can easily swoop down and bomb without you realising until it was too late. This was why detection technology such as Radar (RAdio Detection And Ranging) were invented. Another notable difference was the arrival of Weapons of Mass Destruction. These weapons include nuclear, biological and chemical. Nuclear warfare is the use of atomic bombs or radioactive substances to attack. Atomic bombs use the idea of nuclear fission whereby the nucleus of atoms split apart and release huge amounts of energy, often resulting in an enormous fireball the size of cities. Biological and chemical weapons make use of deadly organisms and chemical respectively, causing loss of lives or incapacitation. Biological and chemical weapons are extremely devastating and kill innocent lives. Last but not least, improvements in communications have allowed coordination to be quicker and strategies to be more complex. However, it has also made spying ever more easily. Modern warfare is known for the tables to be turned very quickly. One moment you could be on the verge to victory, the next moment you would be surrendering. For example, the swift bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki over a period of 4 days forced the Japanese to surrender.
Is this the end of the evolution of war? I doubt so. I believe war will become something far more deadly. For example, after the atomic bomb was invented, the H-bomb arrived and soon, who knows what other bombs would be created. New and more advance technologies such as an EMP (electro-magnetic pulse) which is capable of stopping all electrical devices are being created constantly. Warfare is also being revolutionised with robots able to perform duties which are risky for normal humans. Drones are being designed and built smaller, lighter, and harder to spot. In addition, war might one day be carried out in space. Space satellites once used for observations may become weapons one day. Perhaps, war might become something similar to Star Wars.
War is a complicated conflict between two opposing countries. With the evolution of technology, war becomes even harder to understand. However, technology has not changed the reasons for war. It still remains as mankind’s hunger for territory, power and material. Now, time to watch Star Wars…
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