# Battle of the Somme begins (1916)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1916-battle-of-the-somme-begins
Location: Somme
Categories: battle

French and British armies launched a major offensive with catastrophic casualties. Within the broader Third Republic period, The Third Republic survived war, the Commune, constitutional crises and fierce ideological conflict. It expanded mass schooling and empire, faced the Dreyfus Affair, fought World War I and entered the troubled interwar era. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is Raymond Poincaré (President of the French Republic). Battle of the Somme begins mattered because it changed the military or territorial balance and influenced the political choices that followed. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
Battle of the Somme begins mattered because it changed the military or territorial balance and influenced the political choices that followed.

Ruler at the time: [Raymond Poincaré](https://history-france.com/rulers/raymond-poincare)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Battle of the Somme begins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Battle+of+the+Somme+begins&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Battle of the Somme begins](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Battle+of+the+Somme+begins)
- [Vie-publique — French institutions and history](https://www.vie-publique.fr/)