So eastern German's could not escape to the west.<span />
The Schlieffen Plan was created in World War 1. It was used by the Germans to in order to fight France and Russia in the war. Germany was one of the central powers and was therefore in the "middle" of France and Russia. Russia was allied with France, so once a country declared war on France, the Russian army had to pitch in and help them fight.
Furthermore, the Germans declared war on France and Russia was ready to mobilize.
While Russia was mobilizing, the Germans wanted to fight one front at once quickly, so they could then fight Russia. They had to march through neutral Belgium and encircle the French army.
exploitation of African natural resources by colonial powers
