Alfred Von Schlieffen

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Schlieffen, Count Alfred von Born: February 28, 1833; Berlin, Germany. Died: January 4, 1913; Berlin, Germany. Military significance: Schlieffen was most famous as the chief of the Great General Staff who designed the general plan for the offensive against France with which German began the First World War. Born into an old noble, military family, Schlieffen studied law at the University of Berlin and then joined the cavalry, eventually rising to command of the First Guard Uhlans. In 1884, he was appointed deputy to Great General Staff chief Alfred von Waldersee. When Waldersee was relieved by Wilhelm II in 1891, Schlieffen was appointed in his place. An exacting and taciturn man, Schlieffen’s concern with the danger of a two front war against France and Russia ultimately resulted in his Great Memorandum of 1905. This envisaged the defeat of France in six weeks by sweeping through Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg with a powerful right stroke, bypassing Paris and destroying the French field army. His last words were, "It must come to a fight. Only make the right wing strong." Whether his plan would have worked is a matter of conjecture; he was never satisfied that he could deliver sufficient firepower to crush the French. Shifts in Great Power politics and emendations made in the plan by his successor, Helmuth von Moltke, doomed it to failure. Standard references Books and articles Bucholz, Arden. Moltke, Schlieffen and Prussian War Planning. New York: Berg, 1991. Foerster, Wolfgang. Count Schlieffen and the World War. Carlisle Barracks, US Army War College, 1983. Keegan, John. The First World War. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1999. Ritter, Gerhard. The Schlieffen Plan: critique of a myth. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1979. Zuber, T. "The Schlieffen Plan reconsidered." War in History. 6(1999). Films and other media The Great War. Episode 1: Explosion. Documentary. PBS Home Video, 1996. See also: Marne; Moltke, Helmuth Johannes Ludwig von; William II, World War I. George S. Vascik.

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Debating Cannae: Delbrück, Schlieffen, and the Great War Andrew Loren Jones East Tennessee State University
East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works 5-2014 Debating Cannae: Delbrück, Schlieffen, and the Great War Andrew Loren Jones East Tennessee State University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd Part of the European History Commons, and the Military History Commons Recommended Citation Jones, Andrew Loren, "Debating Cannae: Delbrück, Schlieffen, and the Great War" (2014). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 2387. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/2387 This Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Debating Cannae: Delbrück, Schlieffen, and the Great War ___________________________________________ A thesis presented to the faculty of the Department of History East Tennessee State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in History ________________________________________ by Andrew L. Jones May 2014 ________________________________________ Dr. Stephen G. Fritz, Chair Dr. Dinah Mayo-Bobee Dr. John M. Rankin Keywords: Nationalism, Delbrück, Schlieffen, German War Planning, Germany, Sedan, Moltke, War Enthusiasm, German Wars of Unification, World War I ABSTRACT Debating Cannae: Delbrück, Schlieffen, and the Great War by Andrew L. Jones Debating Cannae: Delbrück, Schlieffen, and the Great War provides the reader a view of the historical struggle between Alfred von Schlieffen and Hans Delbrück. They argued fiercely about the foundation of the German Empire and the use of history.
[Show full text]
"We Germans Fear God, and Nothing Else in the World!" Military Policy in Wilhelmine Germany, 1890-1914 Cavender Sutton East Tennessee State University
East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works 5-2019 "We Germans Fear God, and Nothing Else in the World!" Military Policy in Wilhelmine Germany, 1890-1914 Cavender Sutton East Tennessee State University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd Part of the European History Commons, and the Military History Commons Recommended Citation Sutton, Cavender, ""We Germans Fear God, and Nothing Else in the World!" Military Policy in Wilhelmine Germany, 1890-1914" (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3571. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3571 This Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “We Germans Fear God, and Nothing Else in the World!”: Military Policy in Wilhelmine Germany, 1890-1914 _________________________ A thesis presented to the faculty of the Department of History East Tennessee State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History _________________________ by Cavender Steven Sutton May 2019 _________________________ Stephen G. Fritz, Chair Henry J. Antkiewicz Brian J. Maxson Keywords: Imperial Germany, Military Policy, German Army, First World War ABSTRACT “We Germans Fear God, and Nothing Else in the World!”: Military Policy in Wilhelmine Germany, 1890-1914 by Cavender Steven Sutton Throughout the Second Reich’s short life, military affairs were synonymous with those of the state.
[Show full text]
Prussian Strategic Concepts in the Years 1815–1819
Chapter 7 Prussian Strategic Concepts in the Years 1815–1819 During a Generalstabsreise between Königsberg and Insterburg (Wystruć, now Chernyakhovsk), one of the adjutants accompanying Alfred von Schlieffen exclaimed loudly his awe at the view of the Pregel (Pregoła, now Pregolya) val- ley in the light of the rising sun. Schlieffen’s response was brief and to the point: ‘An unimportant obstacle’.1 This story, usually used to illustrate Schlief- fen’s narrow range of interests, also shows the main problem with Prussian war planning throughout the whole 19th century, the appropriate appreciation of geographic conditions in potential areas of operation. The geostrategic position of the Kingdom of Prussia after the Congress of Vienna was considered unfavourable.2 In his momorandum of 1817, Boyen in- dicated that the country’s position was determined by two main factors. The situation had worsened since Frederickian times when Prussia had one power- ful neighbour, whereas now there were three. This forced Prussia to consider the possibility of fighting a war on two fronts (doppelte Krieg).3 This appraisal was shared by other officers, including Clausewitz4 who considered Prussia, as a result of the Congress of Vienna, to be compressed between two ‘colossuses’, France and Russia.5 Both were to be considered members of an anti-Prussian coalition, especially in the equivocal policies of Tsar Alexander. In consider- ation of the detachment of Prussian territories, Boyen felt that the political and financial significance of its eastern and western provinces meant that it was unthinkable to place the main line of defence on the Saale, as had been the case in 1806.
[Show full text]
Clausewitz and the First World War* I
The 2010 George C. Marshall Lecture in Military History Clausewitz and the First World War* I Hew Strachan Abstract English-language authors have blamed Clausewitz twice over for his part in the First World War. Liddell Hart attributed to him a doctrine of “absolute war,” embraced by European general staffs and emulated by the British. More recent scholars have seen the war as lacking a political rationale and so contradicting what is today the best-known of the nostrums of On War. But that was not the case before 1914, when Clausewitz’s text was interpreted in different but equally valid lights. This article analyses how On War was read by the principal belliger- ents both during the war and in its immediate aftermath. he British chief of the imperial general staff between 1941 and 1945, Alan Brooke, said of George C. Marshall that he was “a great gentleman and a great organizer,T but definitely not a strategist.”1 Brooke was not alone among British staff officers in holding that view, nor was it an opinion driven simply by differences over * This article is based on the George C. Marshall Lecture, delivered on 9 April 2010 at the Or- ganization of American Historians annual conference in Washington, D.C. The Marshall Lecture is co-sponsored by the Society for Military History and the George C. Marshall Foundation. 1. Field Marshal Lord Alanbrooke, War diaries 1939–1945, ed. Alex Danchev and Daniel Todman (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2001), 249; see also Andrew Roberts, Masters and commanders: how four titans won the war in the west, 1941–1945 (London: Allen Lane, 2008), 33, 137, 427.
[Show full text]
USAFA Harmon Memorial Lecture #27 Military Planning and National Policy: German Overtures to Two World Wars Harold C
'The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the US Air Force, Department of Defense or the US Government.'" USAFA Harmon Memorial Lecture #27 Military Planning and National Policy: German Overtures to Two World Wars Harold C. Deutsch, 1984 The celebrated dictum of Carl von Clausewitz that war is the continuation of policy has bred variants which, although not necessarily contradictory, approach the problem of war and peace rather differently. Social revolutionists, notably Lenin, like to switch emphasis by perceiving peace as a moderated form of conflict. Our concern here, the interplay between military planning and preparation for war with the form and con duct of national policy, has less to do with maxims than with actuality in human affairs. The backgrounds of the two world wars of our century tell us much about this problem. They also indicate how greatly accidents of circumstance and personality may play a role in the course of events. This was notably true of Germany whose fate provides the central thread for the epoch of the two world conflicts. At some future time they may yet be known historically as "the German Wars." This is not to infer that, had Germany not existed as a nation, and, let us say, France and Russia had been geographic neighbors, the first half of our century would have been an era of peace. Some of the factors that led to international stress would have been at work in any event. But the reality of Germany's existence largely determined the nature and sequence of affairs as they appeared to march inexorably toward disaster.
[Show full text]
General Ohne Eigenschaften?
Kirstin A. Schäfer. Werner von Blomberg: Hitlers erster Feldmarschall: Eine Biographie. Paderborn: Schöningh, 2006. 291 pp. Illustrations. EUR 32.90, cloth, ISBN 978-3-506-71391-9. Reviewed by Katrin Paehler Published on H-German (June, 2009) Commissioned by Susan R. Boettcher Kirstin Schäfer has written a fascinating biog‐ sailles Treaty--embraced a new military philoso‐ raphy of General Werner von Blomberg that is, at phy, defined more by Carl von Clausewitz than by once, an embarrassment of riches and slightly un‐ Alfred von Schlieffen. Blomberg and others of his satisfactory. In three substantial sections, the au‐ cohort envisioned the coming war as a "war of thor diligently follows her subject's life from his liberation," conducted by a people's army earliest experiences to the pinnacles of his career equipped with the most modern weaponry and as Adolf Hitler's minister of defense (as of 1935, led by a strong, psychologically influential leader. minister of war) and commander-in-chief of the It is easy to see why Blomberg was comparatively German army to his eventual dismissal from this open to National Socialism. position, "banishment," and death in March 1946. Blomberg achieved the frst pinnacle of his Strengths of the book are found in the rich‐ career as the head of the Troop Ofce and de facto ness of the sources exploited and the author's leader of the secret Great General Staff. In this ca‐ ability to evaluate and contextualize them. Her pacity, one of Blomberg's main concerns was the first section focuses on Blomberg's strategic think‐ modernization of the German military, the restric‐ ing and writing in historical context and in rela‐ tions of the Versailles Treaty notwithstanding.
[Show full text]
8.5 What Caused the Outbreak of the Great
History Knowledge Organiser HT5 – How did the Great War change Britain’s position in the world? What caused the outbreak of So who fought who? What was the Schlieffen Plan? One of the initial offensive attacks launched by the Great War? the Germans and concocted by Field Marshal Long term causes Alfred Von Schlieffen. Militarism - many countries built It was a plan to attack France on 4th August large armies and navies. Britain Germany 1914 to capture France Alliances – the alliances formed Why did it fail? fuelled tension and caused unease. The Russians were ready much earlier than the Germans expected and sent troops to the Imperialism - European nations France V Austria- Eastern Front were creating empires. Hungary Belgium refused the Germans permission to go Nationalism - all countries were through their country which slowed down the French invasion looking out for their own The British arrived on 23rd August to resist interests. Russia Italy the Germans – something they didn’t anticipate. Short term cause th 28 June 1914- Assassination of Recruitment Life in the trenches Key dates of 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand Lord Trench life was a horrific June 28 - Archduke Franz Ferdinand, A member of the Austrian royal Kitchener, experience for soldiers. prince to the Austria-Hungary throne, is family and heir to the throne Minister of Trench foot: The wet and muddy assassinated was sent to Sarajevo-the capital Propaganda, conditions caused feet to swell up July 23 - Austria-Hungary demands of Bosnia- a country which Austria began a and go black. The flesh would go Serbia pay for the assassination of Franz had just taken over.
[Show full text]
Schlieffen Plan in 1905 When He Was the German Chief of Staff
Why wasn’t the war over by Christmas? Today I will practise: • Explanation skills: identifying) the reasons (causes) of events • Research skills (knowing where to find information) Introduction • Count Alfred von Schlieffen drew up the Schlieffen Plan in 1905 when he was the German Chief of Staff. • In a European war, Germany would face France in the west and Russia in the east, and would need to defeat France within six weeks before Russia mobilised her troops. • As most of the French army was stationed on the border with Germany, the Schlieffen Plan aimed for the quick defeat of France by invading it through neutral Belgium and moving rapidly on to capture Paris. • The Germans did not believe that Britain would go to war, based on their 1839 treaty with Belgium, which they described as a 'scrap of paper'. • Even if Britain did defend Belgium, the Kaiser thought there was no need to fear the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), which he called a 'contemptible little army'. • Having defeated France, Germany could concentrate her efforts on defeating the Russians in the east rather than having to fight on two fronts at once. TASK: Using the information overleaf, produce a mind-map or bullet-pointed list (with subheadings) to explain the reasons why the Schlieffen plan failed. Schlieffen Plan Belgium • The Germans were not expecting any resistance from Belgium, but the Belgian army fought bravely and managed to delay the German advance. • Members of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) arrived to help, and the Germans were held up at Mons. • The Belgians later prevented the Germans from taking the French channel ports by flooding much of their land.
[Show full text]
Social Studies Round Between How a Word/Phrase Should 2018 – Senior Division Coaches Practice Be Pronounced and What You See
Students: Throughout this competition, foreign Indiana Academic Super Bowl names and words may be used. If there are any discrepancies Social Studies Round between how a word/phrase should 2018 – Senior Division Coaches Practice be pronounced and what you see A Program of the Indiana Association of School Principals on the screen, the screen supersedes what is spoken. SD-CP-SS-1 SD-CP-SS-2 The following four autocratic empires World War I was a war of “extraordinary intensity.” collapsed during World War I. Two were Three of the following statements help to explain considered by all observers to be in terminal that intensity. Which statement is FALSE? decline. Which one was considered to be on A. For the first time in history, battlefield the verge of disintegration by some observers injuries, not diseases, were the major killer. and a potential great power by others? B. Individual experiences of war assumed a collective identity A. the Austro-Hungarian Empire C. Neither weather nor seasons dictated B. the German Empire pauses in the fighting. C. the Russian Empire D. The unprecedented violence was D. the Ottoman Empire compressed into a conflict of just four years. SD-CP-SS-3 SD-CP-SS-4 In 1914, only one thing could have deterred In 1914, Germany’s war plan, linked to Chief of the General Staff Count Alfred von Schlieffen, called for Germany from starting a general European war, Germany to concentrate its forces on the western front and it did not exist. What was that missing and made which of the following false assumptions about factor in the pre-war international system? Russia? A.
[Show full text]
KHS—History Knowledge Organiser—Half Term 1—Causes of WWI
KHS—History Knowledge Organiser—Half Term 1—Causes of WWI Key Dates: 1839, Treaty of London - Britain promises to By the end of this Half Term I should know: protect Belgium neutrality. How land grabbing (imperialism) and the ‘Scramble for 1879, Dual Alliance - Germany and Austria - Hungary prom- ise to support each other if threatened. Africa’ increased tension in Europe. 1882, Triple Alliance - Italy persuaded to sign agreement Why alliances were formed between the powers in Eu- extending the Dual Alliance. rope and how this led to paranoia. 1894, Franco - Russian Alliance - France and Russia respond How the arms and naval race took Europe to the brink to the signing of the Triple Alliance. of war. 1904, Entente Cordiale - Britain signs a friendly agreement How significant the assassination of Archduke Franz Fer- with France to help if needed (not to fight). dinand was, as spark or trigger for war. 1907, Triple Entente - This was really a friendly agreement How the Germans planned to use the Schlieffen Plan between Britain and Russia (Anglo - Russian Agreement). avoid a war on two fronts. June 1914 - Archduke Franz Ferdinand assassinated. How the Schlieffen Plan failed and led to a long war. July 1914 - War declared on Serbia by Austria Hungary. Key Terms Treaty of London - Britain promises to protect Belgium neutrality. Triple Alliance - Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. Triple Entente - France, Russia and Great Britain. Arms and Naval Race - A race between countries to build up military and weapons. Long term causes - Issues that can span many years, which slowly build tension. Short term causes– Issues that act as a catalyst (spark) that ignites a conflict.
[Show full text]
Translations of German Epigraphs
“Three and a Half Men”: The Bülow-Hammann System of Public Relations before the First World War by Nathan N. Orgill Department of History Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Alex Roland, Supervisor ___________________________ Dirk Bonker ___________________________ Malachi H. Hacohen ___________________________ Seymour Mauskopf ___________________________ Martin A. Miller Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History in the Graduate School of Duke University 2009 ABSTRACT “Three and a Half Men”: The Bülow-Hammann System of Public Relations before the First World War by Nathan N. Orgill Department of History Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Alex Roland, Supervisor ___________________________ Dirk Bonker ___________________________ Malachi H. Hacohen ___________________________ Seymour Mauskopf ___________________________ Martin A. Miller An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History in the Graduate School of Duke University 2009 Copyright by Nathan N. Orgill 2009 Abstract This dissertation analyzes the history of the press bureau of the German Foreign Office before the First World War. Methodologically, the work tries to locate European international history in a larger political, intellectual, and cultural context by examining German statesmen and their
[Show full text]
1 O N July 23, 1914, the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria-Hungary
1 onJuly 23, 1914, the Habsburg monarchy of Austria-Hungary presented an ultimatum to the neigh- boring kingdom of Serbia that was designed to be unacceptable.' The funda- mental issue in the international crisis that followed was whether the Austro-Serbian standoff would trigger a showdown between the two great European blocs: the Central Powers of Austria-Hungary and Germany, and the Triple Entente of Russia, France, and Britain.' The events of 1914 remain a crucial test for any theory of the origins of modern wars, and pivotal among the issues that they raise is that of how far technical military considerations determine security policy. With this in mind, scholars have focused their attention on the thesis propounded at the time by German Chancellor Theo- bald von Bethmann Hollweg, namely, that the July 1914 crisis got "out of David Stevenson is Senior Lecturer in International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is the author of French War Aims against Germany, 1914-1919 (Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 2982), The First World War and International Politics (Oxford, U.K.: Oxford Univer- sity Press, 2988), Armaments and the Coming of War: Europe, 1904-1914 (Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 2996), and The Outbreak of the First World War: 1914 in Perspective (Busingstoke, U.K.:Macmillan, 2997). I should like to thank the three anonymous readers of this article. Their constructive comments were extremely beneficial. 1. This article uses the following abbreviations: BD: George P. Gooch and Harold W. Temperley, eds., British Documents on the Origins of the War, 2898-2924, 11 vols.
[Show full text]