Daniel Velasco

Mrs. Freestone
English 11
March 19th, 2015

How does warfare advance a society?

When I first began my research I didnt believe that war could help advance anything except
troops on the front lines but if you think about it; destruction is a form a creation. Creation
couldnt be possible if destruction werent a thing; the two help define each other. This isnt a
justification for war, nor am I saying war is necessary for creation but there are beneficial
creations that come from war. The reason we as a society come up with these ideas and
inventions during war is that so much of our creative energy goes into war; throughout history
those with intelligent mind have been put to the task of finding ways to destroy the enemy. War
has changed a lot, back in ancient times battles were fought with spears, shields, and some sort of
protective layer. Most inventions that came from this time were weapons, helmets were
strengthened, swords modified, and things like chariots were made. Eventually things like gun
powder, boats, and cannons were used but throughout this time not many things were invented
that helped the general population. The war that brought the most useful inventions was the one
we are most familiar with; World War 2. Ironically, the most destructive war in history is the one
that came with the most inventions.
The next time you go to turn on the lights in your home, use your microwave, or use a
GPS to get to your destination, you can thank the World War 2 engineers for their pioneering
work. Nuclear power was first discovered in 1938 and with the work of Mr. J. Robert
Oppenheimer, the Atom bomb was invented. Subsequently, practical uses of nuclear fission were
made such as powering houses and buildings with clean electricity. Radar, a term coined by the
US navy which meant Radio detection and ranging was used as early as 1886 but served its main
purpose in the WWII era. Since then the use of radio waves have branched out to things like:

radio communication, broadcasting, and navigation systems. This also led to the invention of the
microwave which bombards food with electromagnetic radiation that causes our food to heat up.
A plethora of convenient things came into existence during and after WWII such as:
penicillin, pesticides, safety belts, crash helmets, saran wrap, computers, supplemental oxygen,
blood transfusions were perfected, jet engines, aviation medicine, and many more things were
directly related to World War 2. Not only were these things discovered but they led to research
and development of other fields of science and medicine that brought with them other useful
applications. Penicillin was the precursor for modern day anti-biotic medicines, pesticides and
their environmental impact led to the modern day environmental movements, aviation medicines
and the pressurized cabin now allow us to fly in airplanes for long periods of time without
serious health issues. The extensive research and vast intellectual creativity during this time has
shaped our world in to the modern day place it is now. War isnt directly good for anyone but the
inventions this war bore dont only facilitate peoples lives but they can also help save them.
The immense amount of creative and intellectual energy that went in to this war has
shaped our world into something no one else has ever seen before. The argument of whether we
would have been off without a war can last forever but one thing is for certain; creation could not
exist without there being destruction.
Dr. David Mindell. http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-worldwar/6002
www.ancient.eu/warfare
http://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/top-10-inventions-discovered-wwii.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_during_World_War_II

1.

Roberts, Susan A.; Calvin A. Roberts (2006). New Mexico. University of New
Mexico Press. ISBN 9780826340030.

2.

Dominic Selwood (29 January 2014). "The man who invented poison gas". The
Telegraph. Retrieved 29 January 2014.

Anderson, J. (2005). Ludwig Prandtl's boundary layer. Physics Today.