When the Austro-Hungarian Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated it set off a chain reaction resulting in the First World War.

That chain reaction, however, was fully anticipated and one of the belligerent countries, Germany, had a plan in their back pocket ready to go.

It was a highly detailed plan, nine years in the marking, which was designed to give them a swift victory.

Learn more about the Schlieffen Plan, and why it didn’t work, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices