The Battle of the Marne was one of the decisive battles of the world not because it determined that Germany would ultimately lose or the Allies ultimately win the war but because it determined that the war would go on. There was no looking back, Joffre told the soldiers on the eve. Afterward there was no turning back. The nations were caught in a trap, a trap made during the first thirty days out of battles that failed to be decisive, a trap from which there was, and has been, no exit.
The Battle of the Marne was pivotal in the context of World War I, not simply because it influenced the ultimate outcomes of the conflict, but because it established that the war would continue with no possibility of retreat. The French General Joffre's statements to his troops emphasized the commitment to fight, solidifying the resolve of the troops and the nations involved. The battle marked a significant moment where the initial quick victories turned into a protracted stalemate.
This stalemate emerged from the first chaotic month of warfare, where neither side achieved a decisive victory, thereby creating a situation characterized by entrapment. Nations found themselves caught in a cycle of conflict, unable to find a way out. Barbara W. Tuchman notes that this lack of resolution during the early encounters of the war foreshadowed a long and grueling struggle ahead for all involved parties.
