Another reason was Britain entering the war. The German Kaiser said that Britain would not go to war over their 1839 treaty with Belgium, which he described as a 'scrap of paper'. Schlieffen thought his plan would take out the channel ports so Britain could not join the war. The Kaiser said if the BEF entered Germany, he would have the German police force arrest them. He also believed, even if Britain did defend Belgium, there was no need to worry about the British Expeditionary Force, which he called a 'contemptible little army'. Although the BEF’s 100,000 men were slaughtered by the end of 1914, it slowed down the German attack on France. At Ypres, the British made a stand to stop the ‘hook’ attack of the plan. This forced Germans to head straight for Paris and abandon the ‘hook’ attack, but the French were ready for them.
A further assumption was that France would be defeated easily. The French were ready for the German attack and were equipped with modern technology such as machine guns. This modern technology was suited to defensive tactics rather than attacking, so the casualty rates on both sides fell. Because the German army marched in a groups of 100’s they were mowed down by the French. This helped to create a stalemate because the German army fled to safety when confronted with machine guns.
An additional reason was the mobilisation of Russia’s army. Schlieffen believed that Russia would take 6 weeks to mobilise for war, however it only took 10 days. Schlieffen had received false information about Russia’s railway network and so miscalculated dramatically. When Russia attacked, 100,000 men from the German army were sent immediately to the eastern front. This weakened the army on the Western front. This helped to create a stalemate because Germany was fighting a war on two fronts, which was the opposite of their main objective.
A final and minor reason was supplies. The German army did not account for the resistance of Belgium and the BEF joining the war. This helped to create a stalemate because the German army was exhausted and was not fighting at the optimum capability.
When Von Kluck realised that the Schlieffen plan would not work, he ordered the army to head straight for Paris and abandon the hook strategy. The German army met French defences at Marne. This was where stalemate occurred. Trenches were first dug at Aisne to protect themselves and also to hold onto enemy land that had been invaded. Both sides dug trenches and expanded them.
In my opinion the main reason for stalemate is the extra resistance from Belgium and the BEF. I think this because if Belgium had not resisted then the German army would have advanced into France and invaded Paris. France would not have been ready for the German army and would have been easily slaughtered. Also, the BEF would not have joined the opposition and slowed down the attack on France.
