Schlieffen Plan Flashcards
Why did Germany want to defeat France so quickly?
With Franco-Russian Alliance 1893 Germany would have to fight France and Russia on two fronts (east and west)
How many weeks did the Germans think it would take to defeat France?
6 weeks
Where would the French be expecting a German attack from in 1914?
Alsace-Lorraine
When did Count von Schlieffen come up with his plan?
1905
Schlieffen’s original plan was to attack France through which countries?
Neutral Holland and Belgium (changed to just Belgium after Schlieffen’s death in 1912)
What did the Germans believe about the Russian army?
It would take some time to mobilise its army due to the size and outdated nature of the country
What agreement did GB have with Belgium and what did it say?
Treaty of London, 1839 -promised to protect the neutrality of Belgium
When does GB declare war on Germany?
4th August 1914
Apart from the Schlieffen Plan (and agreements with France and Russia) why else was GB prepared to go to war in August 1914?
Concerned about its own security - if Germany got a hold of western Europe GB could be attacked
The Kaiser was surprised that GB was prepared to fight over this. What did he call the agreement GB had signed about Belgium?
A scrap of paper
