Final answer:
Trench warfare conditions were horrible due to the combination of environmental hardships, such as deep mud, cold, and diseases, and the psychological terror of constant bombardment and the use of poison gas. The stalemate of trench warfare was caused by defensive strategies outperforming offensive tactics due to new warfare technologies like machine guns and artillery, which made offensive assaults extremely deadly for the attackers.
Step-by-step explanation:
The conditions of trench warfare were indeed horrible for several reasons. Soldiers would often stand in deep mud, dealing with the cold and constant rain, as they faced the grim prospect of artillery shells raining down on them. Trenches would be filled with water, causing trench foot, a painful condition where the feet would become swollen and infected. Moreover, life in the trenches was marred by the presence of rats, disease, and constant hunger.
Poison gas introduced in 1915 added another layer of terror, inflicting horrible burns and suffocation. The introduction of industrial-scale weaponry meant that soldiers could be quickly maimed or killed, changing the nature of war into a grueling fight for survival amidst the fear, cold, and relentless mud of the trenches. With new technologies such as machine guns and artillery, offensive charges often led to massive losses for negligible territorial gains, as described in the British term “going over the top.”
The stalemate on the Western Front was characterized by a deadlock where neither side could outflank the other, resulting in four long years of entrenched warfare along nearly five hundred miles of frontlines. This warfare resulted in immense casualties and a tremendous need for medical attention, challenging the capacity of military medical services. The conditions in the trenches rendered concepts of individual heroism and skill largely obsolete, overshadowed by the mechanized killing of modern warfare and the sheer luck required to survive in such a hostile environment.