Helmuth von Moltke was one of Imperial Germany's leading military decision-makers. Far from being an ineffectual and reluctant military leader, justifiably marginalized by historians, through his constant advocacy of war ‘the sooner the better’ he did much to heighten the increasingly bellicose mood in Wilhelmine Germany, where war came to be regarded as inevitable. Moltke's fears for Germany's future, and his consequent desire for a preventive war, influenced other decision-makers in military as well as civilian quarters.

It can no longer be maintained that Moltke was the reluctant military leader that his post-war critics have claimed. This study confirms the view that Moltke benefitted from his close friendship with the Kaiser when acceding to the position of Chief of the General Staff, and demonstrates that there were positive, as well as negative, voices when his candidacy was first announced. The circumstances surrounding his appointment were therefore less clear-cut than has previously been suggested. Moltke was an ambitious careerist who, once in office, tried to cling to his influential position even after the Kaiser and his military entourage had lost faith in him. His inglorious dismissal did nothing to stop him from trying desperate measures in order to return to his old position.

Foremost among the myths, and most damaging to Moltke's reputation, has been the Schlieffen Plan and Moltke's alleged adulteration of it. The Schlieffen Plan, as well as its creator, have too readily been elevated to a mythical status by the historians of the Reichsarchiv and many subsequent commentators. A reassessment of Schlieffen and his strategic plan leads to a fairer appraisal of Moltke's abilities.