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 mobilization of French soldiers
Before the war began, most people were in support of peace and sought new ways to achieve eternal peace. There were peace rallies held in Paris. However, after the war had begun, the French people were split. Many had nationalistic interests in fighting the war with their ever so popular dogma of "elan vitale". There was a general desire for revenge on the "shadow of sedan" or the Franco-Prussian War in which France lost Alsace & Lorraine to Germany. However, the French Plan XVII based on this elan vitale had many faults and eventually had to be scrapped. The capital city of Paris was evacuated by many of its citizens at one point when the German right wing was sweeping down and only 25 miles away from Paris. Children and civilians were moved away from the danger in an act of mass-migration and trenches were dug in preparation for battle. The French believed that Paris would become a battlefield and were determined to keep their capital in spite of battle. However, as history's path went, the Germans never got as far as Paris since the French took the offensive and attacked at Marne instead. After the war was over, the French found their economy greatly devastated and casualties had been great in number. |
