The Séré de Rivières system was an ensemble of fortifications built from 1874 and first used at the beginning of the First World War along the frontiers and coasts of France. It derived its name from the man who conceived it, Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières.
Origin of the system
Following the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, France found itself seriously weakened and isolated from the rest of Europe, menaced by Germany and stung by the loss of Alsace-Lorraine. At the same time as the departure of the last German troops, France created the "Defense Committee" (Comité de Défense), active between 1872 and 1888, whose mission was to reorganize the defense of France's frontiers and coastal lands. To accomplish that, it was necessary to compensate for the lost territories of the Northeast, to modernize old fortifications which had been shown to be wanting in the last war, and to create new fortifications adapted to new combat techniques. In particular, the greatly improved effectiveness of artillery in the new age demanded new measures. The committee was created by a Presidential decree on 28 July 1872, with nine members from the Ministry of War and representatives from artillery and military engineering. General Séré de Rivières, commander of engineering for the Second Army Corps of Versailles, was named secretary of the committee in 1873, and on 1 February 1874 was promoted to Chief of Engineers. During the ensuing years, Séré de Rivières was re-elected head of the committee with all powers necessary to realize his ideas without opposition.
The first works of the new French fortification system were launched in 1874.
In 1880, when the work was already quite advanced and after some internal rivalries and political machinations, General Séré de Rivières was removed from the Defense Committee. In spite of this, the work was continued, trench by trench.
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