For over three years, from the end of 1914 to early 1918, the Western Front never moved more than a mile or so one way or the other. Then, in 1918, there was considerable movement as first Germany advanced then the Allies. Why did these changes happen so

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For over three years, from the end of 1914 to early 1918, the Western Front never moved more than a mile or so one way or the other.  Then, in 1918, there was considerable movement as first Germany advanced then the Allies.

Why did these changes happen so quickly?

For three years, the Allied forces and German for had dug themselves into trenches all along the Western Front.  This was a new type of warfare, on that neither side was accustomed to.  Obviously, such a radical change in the way wars were fought brought about mangy other changes which changed war forever such as tanks, gas and aeroplanes.

When the Schlieffen plan was implemented, the Germans were not prepared to cope with the unexpected ability to muster troops and the bravery the Allies showed.  The Schlieffen plan was somewhat of a disaster, and resulted in both sides being entrenched in costly and devastating battles all across the Western Front, in which hundreds of thousands of soldiers died simply to gain a few miles of land.  However, this did affect the end of the war, and the way subsequent wars were fought.  There were gradual changes all the 1915, 1916 and 1917; the introduction of tanks was at first a complete disaster with their unreliability making them virtually useless in the trench warfare.  However, because the technology was steadily improved as time went on, they were effective enough in 1918 to be decisive in the Allies winning the war.  The trench warfare also steadily introduced new tactics to the battlefield; at first the Allies were convinced that cavalry would be their élite force that would win the war for them.  It soon became apparent that this was not the case and so the Allies had to turn to alternative brand new tactics such as the creeping barrage and gas.  These were introduced in 1916 because old tactics such as cavalry were outdated and useless in these new situations.  Both sides desperately wanted to break the deadlock and so were always trying to use new innovations to do this.  Gas is a prime example of this, and was used for the very first time at Ypres in 1916.  It also shows just how new and experimental these technologies were; the Germans did not use more gas or capitalise on the advantage gained from the use of it because they were scared of it, i.e. the wind changing and it being blown back in their direction.

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Suddenly in 1917, changes appeared thick and fast.  Firstly, and arguably most importantly, Russia pulled out of the war.  This was due to political and social unrest the country (the Russian Revolution).  This was sheer tactical genius by the Germans, as they had earlier that year allowed Lenin, a Communist, back into Russia after he had been exiled for political subversion.  It was Lenin who orchestrated the Russian Revolution, and unwittingly gave the Germans a huge advantage.  This meant that the Germans had to fight a war on only one Front.  They could transfer one million troops ...

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