14. Trench Warfare

France Since 1871 (HIST 276)

The sacred union that united France's political parties during World War I contributed to a resilient morale on the home front. Germany's invasion of France, and the conflict over Alsace-Lorraine in particular, contributed to French concern over atrocities and the national investment in the war effort. New weapons and other fighting technologies, coupled with the widespread use of trenches, made fighting tremendously difficult and gruesome on all fronts.

00:00 - Chapter 1. The Schlieffen Plan: German Hopes for an Early Victory
07:16 - Chapter 2. The Early War of Movement: The Battle of the Marne and the Salvation of France
13:47 - Chapter 3. From Movement to Attrition: The Development of Trench Warfare
22:00 - Chapter 4. The Identity of the Citizen-Soldier: Society During and After the War
34:30 - Chapter 5. Conditions on the Front: The Nature of Machine Warfare

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses

This course was recorded in Fall 2007.