Weapons of Mass Destruction

Paper Summary:

This paper provides a brief overview of the range and types of weapons of mass destruction that were used in human history before the advent of the nuclear bomb. The paper shows how the earlier forms of these weapons were limited by the technologies of the time and their destructive capabilities were generally comparatively mild compared to the large and super-destructive weapons created by modern technology. Yet, the paper concludes that it is not necessarily technology that makes weapons of mass destruction so dangerous, rather it is the aims and intentions of human beings who use these weapons.

Outline:
Introduction
A Brief History of Weapons of Mass Destruction
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The term 'weapons of mass destruction' was allegedly first used in a report by the London Times in 1937. The report was a description of a German air force attack on the town of Guernica in Spain which "... destroyed 70 percent of the town and killed a third of its population." (Origin of the Phrase Weapons of Mass Destruction) The phrase that was used in the report of the London Times on December 28, 1937, is as follows: " Who can think without horror of what another widespread war would mean, waged as it would be with all the new weapons of mass destruction?". ( Who coined the term "weapons of mass destruction"? ) After the Second World War the term was later used describe to threat of atomic weapons during the Cold War. In more recent times the term weapons of mass destruction has evoked images of the hydrogen bomb and refers to biological, chemical, and radiological weapons. ( Who coined the term "weapons of mass destruction"? )"

Sample of Sources Used:

• HISTORY OF BIOLOGICAL WARFARE. Retrieved 17 February, 2007, from http://www.gulfwarvets.com/biowar.htm
• History of Epidemics and Plagues ( 2001) Retrieved 17 February, 2007, from http://uhavax.hartford.edu/bugl/histepi.htm
• Johnson T. J. A History of Biological Warfare from 300 B.C.E. to the Present. Retrieved 17 February, 2007, from http://www.aarc.org/resources/biological/history.asp
• Origin of the Phrase Weapons of Mass Destruction. Retrieved 17 February, 2007, from http://www.cnsnews.com/facts/2006/facts2006215.asp
• Rebehn M. The Long History of Weapons of Mass Destruction. Retrieved 17 February, 2007, fromhttp://www.opendemocracy.net/theme_9-wmd/article_964.jsp

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• Research Paper # 94113 : "Weapons of Mass Destruction"

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