France and America, Movement and Élan

Abstract

Throughout World War I, there were two concepts that influenced how the conflict was fought: mobility and aggression. In this research paper, the application of these ideas by the French and American militaries, and their subsequent results, will be contrasted. Seven works were found through the JSTOR database, including academic journals and books on both the French and American military’s conduct and experiences on the Western Front of the war. The works cited give a perspective into France’s failed offensives culminating in a shattering of French martial spirit and America’s good fortune from entering the war as the conflict swung in its allies’ favor. These two stories of the Great War illustrate the unique challenges and advantages that produced some of the most contrasting experiences on the Western Front of World War I.