They planned to invade France by going through Belgium and then circling back to fight Russia on the eastern front. Germany created a plan to avoid fighting on their eastern and western fronts at the same time. With France to the east and Russia to the west, Germany was surrounded by countries who had united against them in the Triple Entente. This caused a problem for Germany and led to them creating the Schlieffen Plan to try and deal with this threat.

The Triple Entente was strategically in a better position, as they encircled the countries in the Triple Alliance. This was significant when Germany made the Schlieffen Plan, as they did not believe the UK would go to war if France was attacked. It was a friendly agreement, and the three members did not necessarily guarantee to go to war to support each other. The Triple Entente was formed in 1907, including the UK, France and Russia. The fact that the UK and France were willing to put aside their differences shows how concerned they were about the ambition of Germany. This was important as they had been rivals for centuries. In 1904, the UK and France signed the Entente Cordiale. In 1894, France and Russia signed an agreement to support each other, forming the Franco-Russian Alliance, as they feared the strength of the Triple Alliance. The Triple Alliance created suspicion in other European countries. The Triple Alliance meant the three countries promised to defend each other if one of them was attacked. Germany had been at war with France in 1871 and feared further conflict. In 1882, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy entered into an agreement known as the Triple Alliance.

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