Study this source. Source C 'The alliance between France and Russia presents us with a grave strategic problem. In the event of war, Germany would face enem...

This is a "what is the message" question worth [7 marks]. You must identify the message, support it with specific source details, and add your own knowledge.

Identifying the message [up to 3 marks]:

The message of this source is that the Franco-Russian Alliance created a dangerous strategic problem for Germany that could only be solved by a rapid pre-emptive strike against France before Russia could mobilise. The source suggests that Germany's military planning was based on the assumption that a two-front war was inevitable and that speed and aggression were the only solutions.

Supporting with source details and own knowledge [up to 4 marks]:

• The source directly states the strategic dilemma: "Germany would face enemies on two fronts." The Franco-Russian Alliance of 1894 had created precisely this problem, meaning Germany would have to fight both France in the west and Russia in the east simultaneously.
• The solution described - "strike first against France with overwhelming force and defeat her within six weeks, before Russia can fully mobilise" - reflects the logic of the Schlieffen Plan, developed by Count Alfred von Schlieffen as Chief of the German General Staff and refined by his successor Helmuth von Moltke.
• The Schlieffen Plan called for a rapid invasion of France through neutral Belgium, aiming to capture Paris within six weeks. Germany would then transfer its forces by rail to the Eastern Front to face Russia, whose vast size meant mobilisation would be slow.
• The emphasis on speed - "Speed is everything. Any delay could prove fatal" - explains why Germany was so quick to mobilise in July 1914. Once the crisis began, there was enormous pressure on German military planners to attack immediately rather than pursue diplomacy, because any delay would undermine the entire plan.
• This inflexibility was a direct cause of the war's outbreak. The plan also required violating Belgian neutrality, which brought Britain into the war under the Treaty of London (1839), widening the conflict dramatically.

Exam technique: For "message" questions, always connect what the source says to what it means in historical context. Here, the source is not just describing a military plan - it reveals how rigid military thinking reduced the options for diplomacy and made a local crisis more likely to escalate into a general war. Show the examiner you understand the wider significance.