One alternative to the Schlieffen Plan would keep German forces on the defensive along the French border and concentrate the main effort against Russia. German naval power would then be used against the French economy. Respecting Belgian neutrality might remove Britain's immediate reason to enter, while the defeat of Russia could even suit an established British security concern. The argument is a counterfactual strategic preference, and its political assumptions are not presented as certain.
Notable Point · 2:01-2:41
An eastern-first German strategy might keep Britain out
A 1914 counterfactual replaces the invasion of Belgium with a defensive western front, an eastern campaign against Russia, and naval pressure on France.