Economic Impacts

      Throughout history, people have spent tons of money on weapons development. The Ottoman Empire poured money into having the largest and most destructive cannons, while the U.S. government has a military budget over 600 billion dollars. In World War I and II, the Germans spent tons of time and money developing super weapons like the Paris Gun and Big Bertha. Part of the reason that the Germans were partly successful in the World Wars was because of their advanced technology. Weapons have continued to evolve to the point where we can kill hundreds of thousands of people by pressing one button, and there is not really a need to see weapons evolved further. The technology used in cannons has also been changed and modified over time, in the 1800's "rifling" became common on cannons. In modern times, cannons are made to fire at a higher trajectory angle than previous cannons, and they have also been adapted to be used on boats.

      When gunpowder and cannons were invented, they changed the way the world looked at warfare. Now, forts weren't effective against the siege weapons and they needed to adapt. Different types of forts were also designed to be effective against new siege artillery. Without the advancement in weapons technology, the world would be a completely different place, possibly for the better, or for the worse. Weapons can be used for good things, such as to hunt, or liberate a country. Weapons can also be used for bad things, like enslaving people, or killing innocent people. Either way, they play a crucial role in warfare that we must consider.