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Introduction
By examining the social, political, and economic advantages and disadvantages brought on by the widespread use of gunpowder, the issue will determine if the invention and innovation of gunpowder were a blessing or burden on mankind throughout history. The essay will analyze the issues associated with the development of gunpowder and how it transformed our globe across the centuries and continents since its creation and subsequent use altered the direction of human history. The example of how gunpowder was used throughout history will lead to certain conclusions about how people interact with each other and with technology.
The Invention of Gunpowder
As one of Chinas Four Great Inventions, gunpowder is said to have been invented in China in the 9th century. It was initially intended for medical use but was subsequently used in combat about 904 A.D. and expanded throughout Eurasia in the 13th century through commerce and conquest (You, 2020). Sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate, or saltpeter, were combined to produce gunpowder, often known as black powder or smokeless powder. (Hoffman et al., 2018). In addition to serving as a fuel for the powder, sulfur, and charcoal also catalyze the explosive reaction, with saltpeter serving as an oxidizer.
The Use of Gunpowder in Feudal Europe
It has been employed as specialized ammunition for fire bows, early cannons, muskets, rifles, pyrotechnics, rockets, fire lances, and mines throughout history. The development of gunpowder was and continues to be a pivotal moment in human history since it altered the nature of combat at the time and brought about profound political and cultural shifts in Europe and beyond, including the siege of Constantinople and the eventual demise of feudalism (Nayar, 2019). A standard musketeer could kill a fully armored knight with a few weeks or months of training, and cannons, which both the French and the English used in the Hundred Years War and the Siege of Constantinople, allowed the city to be captured (Nayar, 2019). As a result, what would have taken months, if not years, finally resulted in the conquest of Constantinople.
Gunpowder, however, also contributed to the end of European feudalism and enabled the Renaissance. The feudal system, which depended on a caste structure with the peasants at the bottom and the kings and lords at the top, was rendered obsolete by the invention of cannons and muskets, which also made monarchs castles obsolete and allowed a trained levy to kill a knight (Murphy, 2021). As a bullet would negate all the years of training a knight receives while making armor and cavalry less effective, gunpowder made men equal on the battlefield and prevented the knights, lords, and Kings from ruling through force (Murphy, 2021). Gunpowder also made war and rebellion easier to start and harder to put down.
Gunpowder and Colonialism
With the discovery of the Americas and subsequent colonization by the European powers, as well as the European exploitation of African nations through the introduction of gunpowder weaponry to promote warfare and the slave trade that was taking place at the time, gunpowder had completely altered the nature of warfare in Europe by the end of the 14th century (Nayar, 2019). It would also play a significant and destructive role during the age of exploration and colonial expansion. When the Americas were discovered, the devastating effects of gunpowder were also acutely felt there (Murphy, 2021). The introduction of gunpowder and European diseases caused the collapse and eventual demise of the Aztec, Mayan, and Incan civilizations at the hands of the Spanish Conquistadors in the 15th and 16th centuries, resulting in the deaths of over 50 million native people over a hundred years.
By the 14th century, gunpowder was widely used throughout Europe, which decreased the cost of armies and had positive economic effects on mining and building. For instance, the Suez Canal, which opened up a new route to China and India and strengthened the colonial corporations control of India economically, was built using gunpowder in 1859, which enhanced trade (Murphy, 2021). Using explosives, new roads, canals, and tunnels could be constructed quickly and effectively. However, it also made power more biased towards those with gunpowder, allowing greater exploitation to occur with the side without gunpowder.
Gunpowder in Construction
Gunpowder began to be employed in mining and road construction by the late 17th century. It continued to be a practical explosive for destroying coal and rock formations until the discovery of dynamite in the 20th century (Hua, 2020). For instance, a ton of gunpowder was used each week for more than two years to build a 2400-foot section of the 5.4-mile Box Tunnel on the Great Western Railway route between London and Bristol (Garrett, 2021). Due to the risk of the explosion and the noxious gases emitted during the reaction, mining was not a common use for gunpowder. Instead, it was used to build roads and railways and to shape the ground.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the invention of gunpowder was both a blessing and a curse for humanity. As it was used as a weapon to kill other humans, its damage is hard to underestimate. Not only regimes and governments were overthrown or kept their reign, but they also allowed to murder millions of people leading to the eradication of Mesoamerican civilization. On the other hand, as gunpowder was used for construction and mining, it increased the efficiency of industrial production and reduced its costs. The history of gunpowder and its use shows how people can apply technology for good and bad, which shows how ambiguous humanity is.
References
Garrett, R. J. (2021). Gunpowder. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch, 61, 214-221.
Hoffman, P., Inkster, I., Morillo, S., Parrott, D., & Pomeranz, K. (2018). The Gunpowder age: China, military innovation, and the rise of the west in world history. Journal of Chinese History - wòx
, 2(2), 417-437.
Hua, J. (2020). Introduction of the thirty great inventions of China. In Thirty Great Inventions of China (pp. 1-8). Springer.
Murphy, J. (2021). The Chinese invent gunpowder. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
Nayar, S. J. (2019). The golden age of chivalry in the iron age of gunpowder. In Renaissance Responses to Technological Change (pp. 113-161). Palgrave Macmillan.
You, Z. (2020). Gunpowder. In Thirty Great Inventions of China (pp. 647-662). Springer.
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