Why Germany Lost World War I
This is a summary of the reasons Germany lost World War I. The Entente was the alliance of France, Russia, and England, later including the United States. Sometimes called the Allies. German Planning (Schlieffen Plan) Germany’s strategy was based on the Schlieffen Plan, first developed by the head of the German General Staff in the 1890s. The essence was that most of the German Army would quickly attack France, before France could fully mobilize, and defeat France in six weeks. Then much of the army could be quickly transported on German’s superb railroad system to the east to defeat Russia. The Plan was reviewed and updated by the German General Staff every year up to 1914, first under Schlieffen and then under his successor, von Moltke. Helmut von Moltke was the nephew (and namesake) of the general that led German forces to victory over France in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. The elder von Moltke, thinking about Germany’s future after his ...