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Alfred von Schlieffen
[[File:Schlieffen Plan.jpg|thumb|The red dashes show the deployments proposed by Schlieffen in 1905.]]
[[File:Schlieffen Plan.jpg|thumb|The red dashes show the deployments proposed by Schlieffen in 1905.]]
The '''Schlieffen Plan''' was a plan for a German invasion of France that was drawn up in 1904 by Count Schlieffen, chief of the German General Staff. It evolved into the plan of attack used in [[World War I]] (1914-1918). Although the plan used in 1914 is quite different from any plan that Schlieffen himself was responsible for, it is customary to refer to it as the Schlieffen Plan.
The '''Schlieffen Plan''' was a plan for a German invasion of France that was drawn up in 1904 by Count Alfred von Schlieffen, chief of the German General Staff from 1891 to 1906. It evolved into the plan of attack used in [[World War I]] (1914-1918). Although the plan used in 1914 is quite different from any plan that Schlieffen himself was responsible for, it is customary to refer to it as the Schlieffen Plan.
Schlieffen proposed that the German army outflank the fortresses on the Franco-German border by advancing through Belgium. After Moltke replaced Schlieffen in 1906, he made various modifications in the plan. However, this basic concept was retained. If France could be knocked out of the war quickly, Germany could then focus on Russia. When Moltke put the plan into effect in 1914, the speedy result the Germans desired proved unobtainable. Violating Belgian neutrality was a major disadvantage of the plan since this provoked Britain to enter the war as a French ally.
Schlieffen proposed that the German army outflank the fortresses on the Franco-German border by advancing through Belgium. After Moltke replaced Schlieffen in 1906, he made various modifications in the plan. However, this basic concept was retained. If France could be knocked out of the war quickly, Germany could then focus on Russia. When Moltke put the plan into effect in 1914, the speedy result the Germans desired proved unobtainable. Violating Belgian neutrality was a major disadvantage of the plan since this provoked Britain to enter the war as a French ally.