Why did a stalemate develop on the Western Front?

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Why did a stalemate develop on the Western Front?

When war was declared in August 1914, it was expected by both sides to be a short war, over by Christmas. However, this was not the case, a stalemate developed on the Western Front, and for three years the front line, established when the Germans were driven back, did not really moved much.

There were four main reasons as to why a stalemate developed on the Western Front. These were:

  • The failure of the Schlieffen Plan
  • The inability of the French to follow up their victory at the Marne
  • The outcome of  the ‘Race to the Channel’
  • The Strength of defence over attack
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Through the Schlieffen Plan the Germans expected the war with France to end after 42 days. However, this did not work due to the plan being based on too many assumptions, which were timetabled too rigidly. This meant that when, for example, the Belgians resisted, the Germans had no back up plan and the French had time to counter-attack at the Marne. It also meant that the British had time to send over troops to France in order to help the French soldiers fight in the First Battle of the Marne. The British had also managed to get troops ...

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