Why was the Haber-Bosch process developed during World War I?

The Haber-Bosch process was critical to Germany during World War I because it provided a domestic method for the fixation of nitrogen, allowing the country to bypass the British Royal Navy blockade that had cut off access to natural Chilean nitrate deposits.12

Before this development, Germany relied heavily on imported nitrates for both fertilizer production and the manufacture of explosives. By synthesizing ammonia directly from atmospheric nitrogen and hydrogen, the process enabled Germany to produce the nitric acid and nitrates essential for munitions. Without this technological capability, it is estimated that Germany’s ability to manufacture explosives would have been exhausted within months of the war's start. While the process was also vital for agricultural food production, its strategic role in sustaining Germany's wartime military efforts was a primary driver for its rapid industrial expansion during the conflict.1342