‘The failure of the Schlieffen Plan was the main reason for the stalemate on the box Western Front.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.

The main aim of the Schlieffen Plan was to avoid a two-front conflict by enacting a rapid victory of the French in the West before turning to fight the Russians in the East. However, the war of movement which the Schlieffen plan envisioned quickly became bogged down into a two front conflict due to the relative equality in numbers and weapons of the French and British Allies against the Germans, and the rapid mobilisation of the Russian army which opened up the Eastern Front and created a two front conflict. The failure of the Schlieffen Plan is a significant factor in the establishment of stalemate on the Western Front. However, much of the fighting campaign in 1914, after the failure of the Schlieffen Plan was more than evident, was still one categorised by movement .
The nature of trench warfare itself is one of the most significant factors in why there was stalemate on the Western Front. The war turned from being a war of movement to a war of attrition, in which both sides became entrenched and were unable to breakthrough the others defences. The main reason for this was the importance of artillery and weapons in the First World War. There were many attempts from both sides to break through the lines of the opposing side, however the sheer amount of weapons resulted in mass casualties and minimal gains. The nature of trench warfare and the significance of the First World War being the first major industrialised conflict more accurately explains the stalemate on the Western Front.