why did World War I last so long?

Answer 1

Just to add to the previous answer (which is mostly correct), technology had surpassed their military strategies. Rifles had, by 1914, become very accurate even from a hundred yards in some cases. The introduction of machine guns, poison gas (chlorine), and airplanes were overwhelming in terms of the new strategies necessary to deal with them. In its most simple form, it sounds like this - the people fighting WW1 dug themselves into the ground, ran at each other, and died in the middle every time. It took a long time before the generals realized this would never work (and by then millions were dead). Hope this helps. Good luck!

Answer 2

The main reason was that the top commanders resisted new ideas & changes whilst sticking to the outmoded ideas that the infantry will carry the day even in the face of machine guns.

Even when tanks were introduced, the commanders used them as infantry support weapons & spread them out so thinly that they have minimal effect as compared to using armoured en masse.

If the Germans did not call an end to the war, the war may very well have lasted till 1919 or 1920 at the very least.

Answer 3

Is four years so long? The second World War lasted even longer..

Answer 4

The war came to a grinding stand still once the trenches were occupied. The rapid rate of fire from machine gun emplacements, coupled with the free use of high explosives kept everyone hunkered down in the trenches for years.
It was a particularly nasty war (not that any war isn't) but any headway gained was measured in yards. One week you'd have advanced 2 trenchs to the front, only to be pushed back to your original position or further where you dug in and regrouped.

Answer 5

It went into extra time due to the amount of stoppage time from injuries (sorry - bad joke but couldn't resist)

Basically there was deadlock because neither side could sucessfully attack across No-Man's Land due to the dominance of the machine gun - infantry simply had no protection from the hail of bullets that met them every time they attacked from their own trenches,

The key which unlocked this deadlock was the tank which was protected from machine gun fire and enabled the British to mount a successful attack and restore the "fluid" nature of the war (as opposed to the static trench warfare that had preceded it)

So the simple answer to your question is that it took so long because they were waiting for an invention which would deal with trench warfare.

Answer 6

By it's very nature, trench warfare caused a stalemate, especially on the Western Front. Massive bombardments and attacks only gained several hundred yards at most. Both sides were nearly equal in armaments, technology, artillery and infantry. The mobile warfare of WWII would make things alot different.

Answer 7

It was primarily a ground war with no ability to blast your opponents with high tech air cover.

Answer 8

They did not hear the BELL.