Source A.

The German war plan had been drawn up by Count Alfred von Schlieffen, who was then War Minister. He wanted to avoid having to fight France and Russia at the same time. So he planned to defeat France quickly and then send his troops to fight Russia.

From Britain and the Great War (1993) by J.F.Aylett.

What does Source A tell you about the Schlieffen Plan? (3 marks)

Source B.

The defeat of the Germans was mainly due to the British. The BRitish soldiers had mastered rapid rifle fire shooting to such an extent that the Germans believed there were great numbers of British machine-guns. In fact there were very few. The British and French were also helped by Albert, the King of Belgium, who slowed down the German advance by opening the gates of the Yser Canal.

From a modern history textbook.

What does Source B tell you about the reasons for the failure of the Schlieffen Plan? (3 marks)

Source C.

By the end of October 1914 a continuous line of trenches stretched from the Belgian coast in the north to the border of Switzerland in the south. There were over 1,000 miles of trenches, with soldiers on each side facing each other across No Man's Land, which was the land between the trenches of each side.

From Britain and the Great War (1992) by J. Welham.

What does Source C tell you about the Western Front at the end of 1914? (3 marks)