Final answer:
After the Battle of the Marne and the First Battle of Ypres, Germany was entrenched in a stalemate of trench warfare on the Western Front, with similar attritional conditions on the Eastern Front.
Step-by-step explanation:
After the Battle of the Marne and the Battle of Ypres, Germany found itself in a deadlock on the Western Front, unable to advance as expected. The Battle of the Marne in September 1914 led to the Germans being pushed back and the establishment of a stagnant system of trench warfare. The subsequent First Battle of Ypres further solidified this stalemate, as both sides dug elaborate trenches running from the North Sea to the Swiss border. What followed was years of attritional warfare with little territorial gain for either side.
On the Eastern Front, despite earlier victories, German forces faced a vast, if under-equipped, Russian Army resulting in heavy casualties. The situation for Germany became increasingly dire with the entry of the United States into the war, bringing fresh troops and resources to the Allied side. By the time World War I concluded with the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was left with a weakened military, reduced territories, a struggling Weimar government, and the imposition of heavy war reparations that devastated its economy and social structure.