The French need for a brilliant victory in 1917 stemmed in part from
long-standing humiliation over the German occupation of a substantial part
of the nation. Beyond that, however, the shakiness of France's allies, Russia
and Italy, seemed to require decisive action on the western front.
Finally, the possibility that the French army itself was being worn to a
nub was frightening. The causes of discontent were easy to see. Entitled to
seven days' leave every four months, soldiers went a year or more without
getting away from the combat area. Even the lucky soldier who got his leave
found that the army had made no provisions for transportation to get him
home. At the same time, supervision over troops once they reached rear
areas was lax; drunkenness and indiscipline were one consequence, but so
too was the soldier's vulnerability to pacifist and defeatist propaganda
commonly available by the middle of the war. Despite the national passion
for food, rations for front-line soldiers were poor. Rest camps near the front
lines we shabby and dangerously close to the fighting. The ready availability
of alcohol at local cafes further undermined discipline,
World History
