"Despite Germany's hopes that its prepared Schlieffen Plan would win a swift victory over France and its allies, the First World War settled down on the Western Front to a static one of trench warfare. Other fronts developed in Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers poured into these fronts from all sides involved in the conflict, many amongst them keen for action and eager to do their patriotic duty."
"...without any signal, the train slowly steamed out of the station. At that moment, quite spontaneously, like a smouldering fire suddenly erupting into roaring flames, an immense clamour arose as the Marseillaise burst from a thousand throats. All the men were standing at the train's windows, waving their képis. From the track, quais and the neighbouring trains, the crowds waved back..."
World War I (1914–18) was the first truly global and fully mechanised conflict. Armies clashed across continents by land, air, and sea, and civilians experienced unprecedented destruction. The Western Front became a static landscape of trench warfare after Germany's Schlieffen Plan failed to achieve quick victory. Additional fronts opened in Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Vast numbers of soldiers mobilised for combat, often driven by patriotic zeal and peer pressure. Public enthusiasm and farewells filled home fronts, while entire societies adjusted as universities emptied and sporting events were abandoned. Women and civilians supported departing troops with flowers and cheers.
Read at World History Encyclopedia
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