Why did stalemate develop on the Western Front?
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Introduction
Samantha Bennett Modern World History Coursework Assignment 1 b) Why did stalemate develop on the Western Front? The Schlieffen plan did not, it failed to work for various reasons, some of these being The Russian offensive, German advance east of Paris, the German exhaustion, Joffres leadership, British involvement, Belgium resistance. In August Germany invaded Belgium and Britain stood by its guarantee of Belgium's neutrality and declared war on Germany, within a week, 120,000 troops of the British Expeditionary Force had been secretly shipped to France, this held the Germans up briefly and the British the retreated to France to help the French. The Germans marched in to France but they were forced, because of their lack of soldiers, to sweep east of Paris and they failed to encircle Paris. ...read more.
Middle
The German casualty figures were so high they were never published. The General Joffre inspired the French armies to resist Germany and he rushed reserve troops to the front from Paris using any means possible. The battle of Marne exhausted Germans and threw then back from the Marne River and began to dig trenches to defend then selves. The Germans had failed to capture Paris and they had been stopped at the Battle of Marne. Both sides now rushed troops north to capture the channel ports in the 'race to the sea' the germans wanted to capture the ports as they felt they would be good U-boat bases. The Germans took Ostend and then captured Antwerp, despite the reinforcements of British marines. ...read more.
Conclusion
wire and both warned the offending side of a impending attack there were waves of attacking infantry being mown down by the defending machine gunners but neither sides artillery or infantry could breach the enemies front line to let the Calvary through. Even the development of new tanks, gas and aircrafts could not break the stalemate and despite heavy losses neither side gained much ground. The governments were using means of propaganda as a way to build morale throughout the troops, conditions were terrible and soldiers discipline was extremely harsh as deserters could be shot. The only way it seemed that stalemate could be broken was if the Schlieffen plan had succeed, one of the German offences broke through the front line or if one or both sides were prepared to make peace. ...read more.
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