Impact of aviation on modern history is huge. One proof for it is the direct chronological connection between developments in aviation and important historical events in modern times. Airplane is a means of transportation that allows physical movement of people and goods from place to place, overcoming physical obstacles. This means a complete change of the balance of power between nations. Therefore the 20th century was characterized by the worst wars in human history. Aviation is not the only factor that brought the historic changes. But the dream of flight is a symbol of human spirit freedom and so it is at the center of interest of human endeavor. Aviation is naturally associated with this central symbol of the soul. It has therefore the ability to serve as a touchstone, litmus paper, a clear explanation for many phenomena and events, allowing daring short and clear historical commentary.
The first sign of the unstable political climate that innovations in aviation created can be found at the end of the 18th century, in the French Revolution which took place in 1789, just few years after the invention of the balloon in 1783, the first successful aerial transport in history. First impression of the giant silk balloon, which took off from Paris by hot air by the Montgolfier brothers was most intense. Anyone could now rise up and fly to watch the world down as he wishes. Sublime and supreme were no longer a thing of the aristocracy. The result was that the people revolt against a corrupt monarchy. But in the absence of proper cultural background social chaos took place, in the form of the bloody French Revolution. Napoleon, ambitious artillery officer who was the first to use balloons for army observation purposes, tried to stabilize the nation but instead went to wars and his defeats against other monarchies created prolong political reaction which lasted the entire 19th century.
World War I broke out in 1914, 11 years after the first airplane flight, which was invented by the Wright brothers in 1903. Before the rapid development of military aircraft industry during the war came many flying event such as the first crossing of the English Channel and demonstration of airplane qualities to the public and for military purposes throughout Europe. Together with the airplane, airships at that time became threatening weapons and completed the picture of the dawn of aerial age.
People under emperors sought, in the spirit of 'Spring of Nations' of the mid 19th century, liberty and equality. European empires wanted to keep the old order, but failed and went to war under stupid political pressure.
During World War I airplanes gradually became an important weapon which increasingly attracted much attention. The air war was colorful and dynamic, compared to the battle on the ground, with frozen trenches lines after enormous bloodletting of the parties. Each new aircraft model which entered combat changed slightly the balance of power and created expectation for miracles among the masses. Myth of the 'Air Ace' was created, although flight in those days was very dangerous and many inexperienced pilots died after only few hours of flight.
Air raids on civilian population during the war defined the Total War. Zeppelin attacks on London during World War I marked the beginning of this new era. For the first time in history capitals of large countries were exposed to massive enemy attacks. Natural boundaries become valueless.
It created the modern Total State, where all citizens are mobilized for the war effort. States had to restructure their society. Each citizen was recruited for the war machine. Women were significant workforce and replaced enlisted men in many jobs in factories and public services.
World War I had totally changed the world. Fermentation of various nationalities led eventually to the collapse of empires. German, Habsburg, Russian and Ottoman empires collapsed at its end and modern states replaced them.
Formation of Total States, established on the ruins of empires, occurred out of the collapse of old order that lasted thousands of years. For this reason and because of the mechanical nature of the era, many citizens pushed for total new beliefs which had nationalistic aspects. Citizens wanted to escape from belonging to the mob and wanted to enjoy the fruits of the aerial age. They tried to redefine their identity out of superficial ideas in the social vacuum. Political integration between the personal psychological need of flight and the requirements of the state was self-evident. It resulted in movements of extreme nationalism and Fascism that flourished in every state in Europe and in Italy and Germany in particular. This is how the dictatorships in the new aerial age were so prominent.
Golden Age of Aviation was the period in the history of aviation between 1919 and the beginning of World War II in1939, in which civil aviation, fueled by many daring and dramatic record-breaking feats, became popularized. It was made possible in part by inexpensive surplus military aircraft made available after World War I, and the craze was fueled by lucrative prize-money offered in competitive air racing and for "firsts" such as trans-atlantic and round-the-world flights. This period coincided with the prime development of airshows which had existed before World War I and air races of that earlier era. Their maturation in the Golden Age of Aviation produced a number of the most skilled pilots who would be instrumental in the success of military air forces during World War II on all sides of the conflict. The adoption of aluminium aircraft construction which started in Germany during World War I, became internationalized during this time. In the 1930s development of the jet engine began in Germany and in England.
Most famous from this period is Charles Lindbergh story of first crossing of the Atlantic, but there are many more examples. Here are two of them:
First flight around the world - First flight around the world, in 1924, has been described in the media as an opportunity for great social and scientific progress. Flight lasted six months. In total pilots landed in 29 countries. Hundreds of thousands of people were waiting for the airplanes at the high points of the path. This flight aroused more interest than the Lindbergh flight, three years later.
Italian airship ’Norge’ journey to the North Pole - This airship took off from Rome on April 1926. Large and enthusiastic crowd accompanied the opening section of Norge journey above Europe. Norge was a ship filled with hydrogen and length of 107 meters. She crossed Europe and cruised comfortably at 80 km per hour with 21 expedition members on board. On 11 May 1926 the ship passed over the North Pole, then turned south, over the frozen ocean not known at the time and after flying more than 4830 miles in 71 hours it landed in Alaska. It was the first time of flying across the world from the Mediterranean to the Pacific Ocean via the North Pole. This drew great satisfaction to the Italian leader, Benito Mussolini, who ordered for a second similar expedition few years later with the airship ‘Italy’, a flight which ended tragically, as many other daring flights in that era.
Germany in the Golden Age of Aviation led the world in aviation development. There was enormous attention in the German media for aviation. Nazis came to power in Germany with the desire to cancel the Treaty of Versailles, in which one of the main clauses prevented Germany's ability to develop its air force and aviation industry, on which it was so proud. Mobilization of Nazi Germany society was mainly through accelerated development of aviation, which created millions of job, was the backbone of re-arment and focus of international politic.
Hitler started World War II based on Nazi air superiority, which dictated its development until the end. The Nazis were convinced, until the last moment, that they will tip the scales using miraculous air weapons, such as ballistic missile and jet airplanes.
In all regional wars after World War II air superiority was a key factor. Air Superiority played a major role in world politics as a whole.
Vietnam War of the 1960th, for example, went on and on because the Americans tried to win it through the use of combat helicopters.
Yom Kippur War in 1973 began after the Egyptians believed that accumulated enough air defense against the Israeli airforce.
1960th and 1970th were characterized by the space race which United States won, after it launched the first man to the moon. About 10 years later it started the space shuttle missions and widened the the gap between its rival the Soviet Union, which eventually collapsed.
United States became the only superpower in the world also thanks to its advantages in military aircraft and cruise missiles. It won with them regional wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Using ‘Shuttle Diplomacy’, characterised by frequent trips of its secretaries of states, United States remained No. 1 super power, enforcing World Peace with a fleet of aircraft carriers.
In recent years, with the downturn of the U.S.A space program, the ongoing global peace is crumbling, specially as a result of rising fundamentalist terrorism. Islamic terrorists attack on U.S.A using passengers airplanes on 9/11/2001 and continuous occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq as a result, are a clear expression of a new global order that is developing. There are complex reasons for the slowness in aerospace technology and industry development in U.S.A. One of the reasons is, apparently, the failure to understand the full social meaning of aviation for society in the global era.
Source:
Nazi Germany Aviation as Major Cause for the Holocaust
Poetic and Healing Research
Part A – Chapter 2
Author: Avinoam Amizan
