Home > Trench Warfare and Stalemate- World War I general in a game and assess ethic
Trench Warfare and Stalemate- World War I general in a game and assess ethic
his discussion addresses the following outcomes:
- Defend your choices as a World War I general in a game and assess ethics of the decisions of World War I generals in an era of new tactics and technologies for fighting a war (CO1, CO4, CO5, CO6)
In preparation for this discussion make sure that you have completed the game M3G1: The True Cost of War: Be the General. You may find it helpful to play the game more than once to compare your decisions and your eventual outcomes.
By playing this week’s gaming simulation you made tough ethical and operational decisions as a general in charge of a large fighting force in the trenches. But we must remember that every decision you made might have impacted the lives of thousands of soldiers on the front and their families at home. In a war of such immense death and destruction, it is important to remember the consequences for individuals. A game simulation allows you the unique opportunity to examine what did happen and what might have happened, as the actions of the past are always the result of the larger historical context, no decision is made in a vacuum. Consider: what factors affected your decision-making? How did your choices compare with the historical reality?
Then, in an initial post of at least 250 words discuss the following:
- Summarize for your classmates your decisions and the results of your choices in the game. How were your choices affected by the historical context?
- Based upon your experience in the game and your assessment of the readings, evaluate the challenges facing, and decision-making of, World War I generals. Did they do the best they could given the options available, or did failure to adapt to new technology produce needless loss of life for little or no gain?
- Evaluate the ethical implications of the use of gas as a weapon of war. Did you choose to use it? Why or why not? Is there a difference between conventional weapons such as bullets and artillery shells and those such as mustard gas? Should how you win matter as much or more than winning itself?
