| Who was Helmuth von Moltke the Younger, and what was he known for during World War I? | He was the Chief of the German General Staff and modified and executed the Schlieffen Plan for a quick victory against France through Belgium. |
| Who was Richard Haldane, and what were his contributions to the British military before World War I? | As Secretary of State for War (1905-1912), he modernized the British Army, created the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), and established the Territorial Force (later the Territorial Army). |
| Why did people expect the First World War to be short, and how did this influence Moltke? | People anticipated a short, decisive war like other recent European conflicts, which made Moltke worried about mobilizing quickly to avoid being left behind. |
| What happened when the Schlieffen Plan failed? | France was not rapidly defeated, Paris did not fall, and a stalemate developed. Both sides dug trenches, leading to four years of trench warfare. |
| What was the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), and why was it formed? | It was a force of 144,000 soldiers created by Richard Haldane in 1906 to travel immediately to France and support French troops if war broke out. |
| What was the Territorial Army, and how did Haldane encourage future officers? | The Territorial Army was a volunteer force to back up the regular army. Haldane also set up an Officer Training Corps in British schools to train older boys as future officers. |
| What was the Treaty of London (1839), and why was it significant? | It was a treaty obligating the UK to preserve Belgian neutrality and come to its aid if it was invaded, which influenced Britain’s involvement in World War I. |
| Why was Britain’s Navy important during this period? | As the biggest navy in the world, it ensured Britain’s safety as an island by preventing amphibious invasions during a European war. |
| Why was Alsace-Lorraine important to France? | France wanted to retake Alsace-Lorraine because it lost the territories to Prussia (later Germany) in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. |
| What was Plan 17, and who created it? | Plan 17 was created by General Joffre in 1913. It involved French troops making an all-out attack on Alsace-Lorraine to recapture the territories in the event of war with Germany. |
| What was the ultimate goal of Plan 17 beyond retaking Alsace-Lorraine? | After retaking Alsace-Lorraine, French troops would cross the Rhine River and advance on Berlin. |
| Who created the Schlieffen Plan, and when? | The Schlieffen Plan was created by Count Alfred von Schlieffen in December 1905. |
| What problem did the Schlieffen Plan aim to solve? | It aimed to solve the problem of Germany potentially fighting a war on two fronts against France in the West and Russia in the East. |
| Why did Schlieffen believe Germany could focus on defeating France first? | Schlieffen believed Russia would be slow to mobilize due to the country’s size and dispersed population, giving Germany around six weeks before facing a Russian attack. |
| What was the key strategy of the Schlieffen Plan? | The German army would invade France via Belgium, capture Paris, and force France to surrender before turning east to fight Russia. |
| How did Belgian resistance affect the Schlieffen Plan? | Strong Belgian resistance delayed the Germans by over two weeks, giving the British time to organize and allowing the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) to land and reinforce France. |
| What happened at the Battle of Mons? | The BEF, outnumbered 3 to 1 by the German 1st Army, held off the Germans with rapid rifle fire mistaken for machine guns but were eventually forced to retreat. |
| Why did the Schlieffen Plan fail to capture Paris as intended? | Delays caused by Belgian and BEF resistance forced the Germans to approach Paris from the east instead of sweeping around from the west. Exhaustion, supply issues, and French counterattacks also slowed their advance. |
| What marked the start of stalemate on the Western Front? | After being forced back to the River Aisne by French and British counterattacks, the Germans dug in. By September, trench lines extended from the River Aisne to the Swiss border, resulting in stalemate. |
| How did Belgian resistance impact the Schlieffen Plan? | Strong resistance, particularly at Liège, delayed the German advance, disrupted their rapid movement, and gave French and British forces time to mobilize and reinforce. |
| What logistical issues hindered the success of the Schlieffen Plan? | Overstretched supply lines left German troops exhausted and short of food and ammunition, slowing their advance and preventing them from encircling Paris. |
| How did Russia’s mobilisation affect the Schlieffen Plan? | Russia mobilized faster than expected, invading East Prussia within 10 days. This forced Germany to divert troops from the Western Front, weakening the invasion of France. |
| What role did French and British counterattacks play in the failure of the Schlieffen Plan? | During the First Battle of the Marne, French and British forces halted the German advance, pushing them back and establishing the trench warfare stalemate. |
| How did von Moltke’s modifications to the Schlieffen Plan contribute to its failure? | Von Moltke weakened the right wing of the German forces by reallocating troops to the Eastern Front and Alsace-Lorraine. This reduced the strength needed to encircle Paris, leading to the plan’s failure. |
