noun. a plan intended to ensure German victory over a Franco-Russian alliance by holding off Russia with minimal strength and swiftly defeating France by a massive flanking movement through the Low Countries, devised by Alfred, Count von Schlieffen (1833–1913) in 1905.

What was the purpose of the Schlieffen Plan?

The main aim of the Schlieffen Plan was to deliver a very quick knockout blow to France. This would then allow German forces to transfer their attention to the much larger Russian armies. The numbers on the map show different units of the German armed forces.

How did the Schlieffen Plan cause ww1?

Schlieffen calculated that it would take Russia six weeks to organize its large army for an attack on Germany. Therefore, it was vitally important to force France to surrender before Russia was ready to use all its forces. Schlieffen’s plan involved using 90% of Germany’s armed forces to attack France.