Why Was There A Stalemate? Due to a change in the nature of warfare, it had become easier to defend than attack for a number of reasons:

war had become industrialised and the Western Front was dominated by rapid, accurate and powerful artillery. This helped to create No Mans Land.Although there was a naval blockade on Germany, it took years to make any difference and so this made very little difference.The failure of the Schlieffen plan, and the subsequent lack of any sort of contingency plan, resulted in the Germans having to dig in, in retreat. Initially this was just a temporary measure, but as stalemate developed they dug deeper into trenches on the Western Front. They become permanent places of shelter and refuge, with the British and French following suit. These trenches could be dug effectively and quickly, becoming the symbol for the War of Attrition. With the Germans fighting a war on two fronts, this was another factor for their defensive stance.Trenches could be supplied by railway meaning that men and other supplies could be constantly taken to the trenches as the men were either killed or injured and the supplies exhausted.The size of the armies increased massively throughout the war, with the British army itself increasing from 100,00 men to 5 million! This made it even harder for progress to be made, as it would mean wearing down massive numbers. Conscription contributed heavily to this increased number, but the casualty rate was a massive 90%.Armies had become too big and dispersed to be led properly from the front. Generals now commanded their men many miles away from the front line. This becomes possible by the invention of the telephone, allowing instructions to be sent via this invention. The war could be run from a desk, with problems in defence easily sorted out, with food, clothing and artillery ordered to the front line. However, the telephones were useless for attacking, as they were almost impossible to take with.Flank attacks, a feature of the Schlieffen Plan, had become impossible as trenches stretched right the way across from the border of Switzerland to the Channel. The use of barbed wires on trenches also contributed to the stalemate. The thick wire was being used to prevent trenches, making cavalry charges very difficult and slowing infantry right down. This could not be destroyed by shelling as when the wire was struck, it would be shot up into the air and thrown back down, often in a worst state than it was in before. It would take a mass attack to break down the wire, around 10 attackers for every one defender if the attack was going to be successful. A discovery from a French sweet maker meant that armies could be kept in the field all year round, instead of having to retreat during winter. He discovered that by storing food in an air-tight container and then heating it, the food could be preserved for years without being affected by bacteria. This meant that there were unlimited food supplies for the armies, and now both sides were able to sustain large armies in the field all year round, keeping both sides in close contact the whole time. The trenches meant that the food jars could be then stored there for up to four years. The great Napoleon once said that “armies march on their stomachs.”The Generals must accept some responsibility for the stalemate. Despite being experienced leaders, they were not used to the new type of war, and they were not used to the new technology on show. Old and traditional tactics such as cavalry charges failed, and this led to a stalemate.