1. A Struggle for World Domination

2. The Schlieffen Plan “Paris for lunch - St. Petersburg for dinner!”

3. The German Plan ► A major offensive to capture Paris in 42 days ► Avoid France’s fortifications by sweeping west through neutral Belgium and then turning in an arc south into Paris ► The French army would be destroyed defending Paris

4. The Idea ► If successful the French would be forced to surrender ► Germany could then shift forces to the Eastern front to defeat the Russians before they could fully mobilize ► Like many others, the Germans thought the war would be short lived

5. Attempts to respond offensively ► As the German army moved through Belgium, France thinking it was a diversion sent most of there army northeast to attack Germany through Alsace and Lorraine ► The French lost 27,000 men due to the defensive power of “new” machine gun and long range rifle technology

7. Failure of the Schlieffen Plan ► The Schlieffen Plan fell apart when the Germans got too tired and too far ahead of their supply lines ► Part of their army got separated and vulnerable- the Germans had to retreat

9. ► France tried to attack ► By this time the Germans were also fighting on the Eastern front ► With the German army divided, France was able to protect Paris

11. Quest for Victory ► Immediately both sides tried to out-flank each other to swing around the others’ defensives ► This was called the “Race to the Sea” ► The result was a long line of trenches that stretched from Switzerland to the English Channel