What was the Schlieffen Plan and why was it unsuccessful during World War I?

Question

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Answer 1

To his dying day, von Schlieffen repeatedly said "Keep the right wing strong." The German military plan failed because those military forces that were farthest to the west, instead of continuing southward and bypassing Paris, moved to the southeast to assist in taking the French capital. The Allies took advantage of this shift by attacking the German western flank.

Answer 2

The Schlieffen Plan was Germany's War Plan for WW1.  Germany expected to fight a war on two fronts, vs, France and Russia.  The Schlieffen Plan called for a massive attack through Belgium to envelop and destroy the French army while just holding off the Russians.  Once France was defeated, Germany could concentrate its armies against Russia.  The plan failed because Germany's wartime leaders weakened the attack to protect other parts of the line from threats.  In the end, the attack was too weak to succeed completely.   For more info, check out the link below:

 

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/527664/Schlieffen-Plan