On what date did Britain declare war on Germany following contention over Belgium 's neutrality ?
Therefore it is reasonable to believe that , all things considered , Schlieffen may have regarded the continuation of Moltke the Elder 's strategy as fool - hardy , and reasonable to assume that Schlieffen would have considered betting on a quick German victory in the West to be a better gamble as opposed to pursuing a strategy whose success would have been utterly dependent on British goodwill .