The Schlieffen Plan
- Went to Humboldt University of Berlin
- Also went to Berlin War Academy
- By 1884 he became head of the military-history section of the general staff
- By 1891 he replaced Von Waldersee as Chief of the Great General Staff
- The Schlieffen Plan was an attack on France, as Russia advanced, followed by an attack on Russia.
- These attacks, if successful, would mean that Germany could place the bulk of their military in one frontier and then move it to another.
Wars
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-one/causes-of-world-war-one/the-schlieffen-plan/
- Fought in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866
- Fought in the Franco-Prussia War of 1870-71
- These wars were both to unify the numerous states that made up 'Germany' into 1 united country that was dominated by Prussia and Bismarck
- Growing up, Alfred von Schlieffen showed no interest of going into the military.
- His father, Magnus von Schlieffen, was a highly ranked Prussian officer.
- Alfred applied for his 1 year of mandatory military service, and instead of going into the reserves, he was chosen as an officer candidate.
- This started his long career in the military.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_von_Schlieffen
Afterwards
- Born February 28th, 1833 in Berlin Germany & Died January 4th, 1913
- Also known as Count Alfred Von Schlieffen
- Son of a Prussian army officer
- "Count Alfred Von Schlieffen." Historylearningsite.co.uk. The History Learning Site, n.d. Web.
- "Alfred Von Schlieffen." Spartacus-educational.com. Spartacus Educational Publishers. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.
- Britannica, Encyclopedia. "Alfred, Count Von Schlieffen." Britannica.com. Britannica Libraries, 2015. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.
- Schlieffen retired from the military in 1906
- His successor, von Moltke, revised his plan at the outbreak of the war.
- The weakening of the right flank of the attack on France by von Waldersee may have been a major cause of it's failure.
- He was intrigued at Germany's geographical position
- He joined the German army in 1854
- He was promoted to Chief of the German General Staff in 1891
- Von Moltke changed the original plan at the start of WWI. These changes were the reason that the plan failed.
- von Schlieffen believed that they needed to defeat France quickly.
- von Maltke's revisions included weakening the flanks, thus making the plan fail.
http://www.britannica.com/biography/Alfred-Graf-von-Schlieffen
- Von Schlieffen died when he was 70 years old.
- He died in his bed of natural causes
- At the time, he was the youngest graduate to achieve the ranks he did in the German military.
Alfred von Schlieffen
Austin Willoughby
11th Grade Honors U.S. History