Why did a stalemate develop on the Western Front?
The failure of the Schlieffen Plan left the majority of the German forces stuck in France, and both sides were trying to encircle one another, during the Battle of the Marne. After this failed, the Germans realised the advantages of defensive warfare, especially trench warfare. They realised this after, when entrenched after the Battle of the Marne, they successfully repelled several British attacks, the German generals realised it was the trenches that had helped them, and then started a huge network of trenches from the North Sea to the Alps,. The Allies then also built trenches, and the idea of defensive trench warfare had become a reality across the Western front.
The industrial revolution led to both sides becoming industrialised at the same time, and to the same extent, this meant both sides were evenly matched in many aspects. The transport lines became more efficient which meant more soldiers; supplies and equipment could be delivered quicker and in bigger amounts. For example, railway links were built across the front, and so both armies used the trains to deliver vast amounts of munitions and the French and Germans even made railway guns. These were artillery guns that had been built on railway tracks, so they could be transported along the railway line to wherever they would be needed.
On both sides, the roles of women changed, and in both Britain and Germany, women started to work in factories to fuel the war. The development of the industry and economy of both sides at home meant weapons were produced quickly in mass production. Shell factories in Britain were producing huge amounts of shells every week. However a few factories even suffered explosions, probably because this new technology was not entirely safe. For example, in Britain, the Chilwell shall factory suffered from an explosion in 1918, which killed 137 people and injured over 250 more. This shows that although both sides were...