The invention of the deadly weapons played a significant role in WWI. The fast-operating Lee-Metford later evolved to Lee-Enfield with an even quicker ammo-loading design that enabled a trained rifleman to fire 20 to 30 aimed rounds a minute, which made it the fastest military bolt-action rifle back in the days.
After the massive acceptance by armies, many soldiers were flabbergasted by how handy and practical the newborns were in tactical needs, and so researchers from all places around the globe started learning so. Therefore, by the time when WWI started, the involved countries all equipped their armies with the deadly rifles.
An astounding fact from the BBC history website says: The opening months of the First World War shocked the world by virtue of the enormous casualties caused by the innovated weapons. Approximately 5 million frontline soldiers sacrificed themselves to warn the world about the cost of an equipment-advanced war, and that was just a start.
As presented below, says the total casuaties are mind-blowing and such statistic was unprecedent before the invention of rifles.
(1) World War One Casuaties
Discovered on history websites, many history experts believed that due to the unprecedented effectiveness of weapons, soldiers can always hold their ground against enemies charging even when they are outnumbered. But to take the land has always been the essential part of military mission, so tons of infantries were needed to charge even under extremely fierce fire coverage.
Basically, keeping strongholds and pushing back lines with a dramatic number of men dying are what happened in the battlefields of World War One, and it even took the World War Two for all the European people to finally realize the heavy price of large-scaled wars; innocent people died, families tore apart, civilians lived in fear, etc.
Therefore, just as we learned from history book, the European folks decided to form up a union where no wars are being considered anymore, and contradictions will be solved internally through conference and voting.
(2) Former European Union Member Countries
All in all, the weapons made for fire and blood finally worked for peace and love in a way full of hope and warmth.