Question
Stalemate in Europe because of
Trench Warfare
Britain and Germany were using the
sea to try to starve the other out
of the war
Germany tried to use unrestricted
submarine warfare to shoot down all
boats in international waters
Meanwhile in Europe 1.What is “stalemate”? Why was there a stalemate during World War I?
2.What is “unrestricted submarine warfare”?
Trench Warfare
Britain and Germany were using the
sea to try to starve the other out
of the war
Germany tried to use unrestricted
submarine warfare to shoot down all
boats in international waters
Meanwhile in Europe 1.What is “stalemate”? Why was there a stalemate during World War I?
2.What is “unrestricted submarine warfare”?
Answers
GPT-5 mini
1) What is “stalemate”? Why was there a stalemate during World War I?
- A stalemate is a situation in which neither side can make significant gains; the front lines hardly move for a long time.
- On the Western Front in WWI this happened because new defensive technology (machine guns, rapid-fire artillery, barbed wire) and well‑dug trench systems gave a huge advantage to defenders. Offensive tactics early in the war were poorly adapted to that defense, so attacks produced enormous casualties but little territorial gain. The result was long, static trench lines stretching from the North Sea to Switzerland.
2) What is “unrestricted submarine warfare”?
- Unrestricted submarine warfare is a naval policy in which submarines (U‑boats) sink merchant and passenger ships—neutral and enemy—without warning, rather than stopping and searching them under the older “prize rules.”
- Germany used it to try to blockade Britain and cut off supplies by torpedoing ships in international waters. Because it put civilians and neutral shipping at risk (e.g., the Lusitania in 1915) it provoked international outrage and helped draw neutral countries—most importantly the United States in 1917—into the war.
- A stalemate is a situation in which neither side can make significant gains; the front lines hardly move for a long time.
- On the Western Front in WWI this happened because new defensive technology (machine guns, rapid-fire artillery, barbed wire) and well‑dug trench systems gave a huge advantage to defenders. Offensive tactics early in the war were poorly adapted to that defense, so attacks produced enormous casualties but little territorial gain. The result was long, static trench lines stretching from the North Sea to Switzerland.
2) What is “unrestricted submarine warfare”?
- Unrestricted submarine warfare is a naval policy in which submarines (U‑boats) sink merchant and passenger ships—neutral and enemy—without warning, rather than stopping and searching them under the older “prize rules.”
- Germany used it to try to blockade Britain and cut off supplies by torpedoing ships in international waters. Because it put civilians and neutral shipping at risk (e.g., the Lusitania in 1915) it provoked international outrage and helped draw neutral countries—most importantly the United States in 1917—into the war.