Abstract
Between 1905 and 1914, due to the instability of Europe dominated by alliances, every country in Europe was preparing for the war and developing war plans and strategies, which had to suit their conceptions of the war. Germany, which was allied with Austria-Hungary (which had a poor army), feared a combined attack from France, Britain and Russia, all these countries having signed an alliance treaty, the Entente Cordiale. The position of Germany in the centre of Europe made it more vulnerable, because it was encircled by its enemies. Therefore, there was a need to deal with two fronts: an eastern front in Russia and a western front in France. The German's conception of an inevitable war was, like in the Franco-Prussian conflict of 1870, a war movement, short and offensive. The Germans trusted their army (well-equipped, thanks to a successful industry) and they still had in mind Bismarck's motto "blood in iron": all the problems can be solved by the military strength.
