Western Front Compare And Contrast Essay

From the German perspective, World War 1 was fought on two fronts; the Western Front and Eastern Front. The fronts were significantly different when it came to warfare, namely the tactics employed to deal with the French and British in the West, and the Russians in the East. What was supposed to be a quick victory became a complete failure in military movement and intelligence, and an underestimation of military mobilization. On the Western Front, Germans ran up against the British and French for over 400 miles. In comparison, the Eastern Front consisted of warfare with the Russians along a 900 mile border. The war was supposed to start and end with the Germans properly executing the Schlieffen Plan, a pincer attack on France to neutralize the French, and dissuade the British from joining the war. Had the Plan been successful, the German military would have quickly crossed to the East before the Russians could mobilize, crush them, and return home to fanfare. That particular strategy did not happen. The German military failed spectacularly due to poor mobilization, and an over estimation of traversable roads. Instead of enveloping Paris and much of France, the Schlieffen Plan turned inward far too early, violated Belgian neutrality, and created havoc. The havoc and
However, the same trenches were not found in the East due to the extensive border. Alternatively, decisive battles were fought to capture and re-capture key cities, such as Novo-Georgiesk and Brest-Litovsk. Additionally, the German high command set to aid internal discontent within Russia. The discontent came in the form of assisting the pro-Tsarist White Russians in over throwing the government, and the ultimate rise of the Bolsheviks. The instability of the Russian government weakened the strength of the military, and drained the moral as soldiers were brought back in to deal with civil