Why did a stalemate develop on the Western Front?

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Jack Lenox 11C

GCSE History Coursework

Stalemate on the Western Front

Question B: Why did a stalemate develop on the Western Front?

Answer:

        Stalemate on the Western Front was the result of a range of interconnected factors. One of the major factors was the nature in which the Schlieffen Plan failed. This was due to it being extremely ambitious as it experienced serious logistical problems caused by the speed of the advance and the long lines of communication. There were unexpectedly high levels of resistance in Belgium, mainly in the city of Liege and Mons. The resistance at Mons was aided by the British Expeditionary Force, led by Sir John French, although the force was numerically inferior with only 100,000 men, the soldiers were all well trained and played an important role in the resistance.

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        On top of this, the Russians militarised far quicker than expected and managed to begin pumping men into the Eastern Front within a week of the invasion. The prediction was that the Russians would take six weeks to mobilise. This meant that the German Army now had to move two whole army corps to the Eastern Front to fight them.

        Not only were there unexpectedly high levels of resistance in Belgium but it was also quite evident in France, especially at the city of Guise. The first army were called in from the extreme right flank and as a result ...

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