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The Schlieffen Plan and deadlock on the Western Front

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Germany planned a quick victory in the west. When the plan failed, both sides dug in, and the Western Front became a deadlock of trenches.

The Schlieffen Plan

Germany planned to defeat France quickly by attacking through Belgium, before Russia could mobilise, and then turn east.
Why it failed: Belgian resistance and the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) slowed the Germans; Russia mobilised faster than expected; the Germans were stopped at the Battle of the Marne (September 1914).

Trench warfare

After the 'race to the sea', a line of trenches ran from the Channel to Switzerland.
Trenches had front-line, support and reserve lines, with barbed wire and no man's land between the sides.
Machine guns, artillery and wire made attacks very costly, so the war became a stalemate.

The great offensives

The Somme (1916): led by General Haig; on the first day, 1 July 1916, the British suffered about 57,000 casualties. It helped relieve the French at Verdun but gained little land.
Passchendaele (1917): heavy rain and shelling turned the battlefield to mud; huge losses for small gains.
Haig's tactics remain controversial.
Worked example

Explain why the Schlieffen Plan failed.

  1. Belgian resistance and the BEF delayed the German advance.
  2. Russia mobilised more quickly than expected, so troops had to be sent east.
  3. The French and British stopped the Germans at the Marne.

Answer: Delays in Belgium, faster Russian mobilisation and the Battle of the Marne stopped it.

Key idea

The Schlieffen Plan (through Belgium to defeat France fast) failed at the Marne (1914). Trenches from the Channel to Switzerland created stalemate. Offensives such as the Somme (1916, about 57,000 British casualties on day one) and Passchendaele (1917) gained little; Haig's leadership is debated.

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