Inventing the Schlieffen Plan: German War Planning, 1871-1914The existence of the Schlieffen plan has been one of the basic assumptions of twentieth century military history. It was the perfect example of the evils of German militarism: aggressive, mechanical, disdainful of politics and of public morality. The Great War began in August 1914 allegedly because the Schlieffen plan forced the German government to transform a Balkan quarrel into a World War by attacking France. And, in the end, the Schlieffen plan