WHY THE GERMANS LOST

Failure of the Schlieffen Plan

  • The Schlieffen Plan was a strategic plan developed by General Alfred von Schlieffen in 1905 and was to be implemented in the event of a European war.
  • The plan was to avoid a war on two fronts by swiftly defeating the French on the Western Front and the Russians on the Eastern Front. In order to get to France, the Germans would first have to cross through Belgium
  • However, when WWI broke out, the German’s fear of a war on two fronts was realised when the Schlieffen Plan failed.
  • The Belgium army put up a stronger resistance than expected and delayed the Germans by the month and the French could not be defeated swiftly.
  • This dragged Germany into a war of attrition on two fronts as the Russians had also mobilised their troops quicker than the Germans had expected. However, the failure of the Schlieffen Plan was made certain by the Battle of the Marne.

The Battle of the Marne

  • The Battle of the Marne, fought between 5 and 12 September 1914, was a battle that resulted in an Allied victory and effectively ended the month long German offensive that opened the war and had reached the outskirts of Paris.
  • This caused the war to become a stalemate and the German defeat, and the subsequent retreat, ended any hopes of a swift German victory, meaning that the Schlieffen Plan had failed and 220,000 German soldiers were killed.
  • The counterattack of six French field armies and one British army along the Marne River forced the German Imperial Army to abandon its push on Paris and retreat northeast, setting the stage for four years of trench warfare on the Western Front.
  • Given the nature of trench warfare, the way in which Germany could be defeated was if their resources were depleted. This would eventually be the case.
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The Naval Blockade

  • The superiority of the British naval force meant that it would be a helpful asset in defeating the Germans. Whilst very few battles actually took place on the sea, Britain was able to set up a naval blockade that would prove damaging to the German economy and army.
  • Both the German Empire and the British Empire relied heavily on imports to feed their population and supply their war industry.
  • The U.K. and Germany both aimed to blockade each other. The British had the Royal Navy which was superior in numbers and could operate throughout the British ...

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