Final answer:
The Schlieffen Plan was Germany's strategy in World War I for a rapid victory over France before turning to face Russia in the east. Despite the initial progress, the plan failed, leading to a prolonged and deadly trench warfare on the Western Front.
Step-by-step explanation:
The name of Germany's plan to win a two-front war in World War I was the Schlieffen Plan. This strategy was developed by Field Marshal Alfred von Schlieffen in the early 1900s with the anticipation of a rapid offensive against France through Belgium, rather than the shared German-French border. The essence of the plan was to swiftly defeat France and then redirect the military efforts to take on Russia in the east, capitalizing on what was expected to be slow Russian mobilization. The rapid advance aimed to secure a victory over France quickly and relied on the efficient transportation of troops via railways.
Unfortunately, while the initial stages of the German invasion aligned with the Schlieffen Plan's objectives, the advancing German forces were halted in Belgium and Northeastern France by fierce French counterattacks. Additionally, the Russian army defied the German expectations by mobilizing more rapidly than predicted and launching attacks in the east. The failure of the Schlieffen Plan led to exhaustive trench warfare, with both sides digging in along the Western Front. This stalemate continued for the next four years, marking a departure from traditional battlefield tactics and highlighting the devastating power of modern warfare.