History 482
October 7, 2013
Discussion Questions: Stalemate
- “In every age, the use of new or
improved weapons directly affects the way warfare is conducted; weapons
development escalates as opposing forces struggle both to "keep up" with
their enemies and to counter the weapons that their enemies have
developed.” What were the new weapons that appeared with the onset of war
and how did each affect the course of the war?
- What did stalemate mean in terms of
WWI? What were its attributes and what caused it?
- Why did the leaders of both sides
originally believe that the war would be very short?
- Describe the factors that supported and
that worked against the success of each army (France, Britain, and Germany)
in August, September, and December 1914.
- Explain the expression "poor little
Belgium," and describe the actions of the German army that led to this
expression.
- What was the Christmas truce and what
does it say about the nature of the early war experience? Why did such
truces not continue?