In the Beginning of the War Europe began moving their armies to the front. In Germany the army began putting into a action modified version of the Schlieffen Plan which was created by Count Alfred von Schlieffen. This plan was intended for a two- front war against France and Russia.
In the beginning of this easy victory over the French in 1870 in the Franco Prussian War, Germany viewed France as less a threat. As a result Schlieffen planned to place a piece of Germans military againist France with the goal of a great victory before the Russians could get their army together. With France defeated, Germany would be able to shift attention to the east.