When WW1 got started, what was the Central Powers' game plan if they won? Were they going to rule France?

by l_Wanna_Know

If Schleiffen had worked, France was knocked out and then Russia defeated in another quick war like the Franco-Prussian war, what exactly was the goal? What was Germany planing to do with these countries? Demand an indemnity, grab a couple colonies, and everything goes right back to normal? Put up a pro-German monarchy in France and Russia?

DuxBelisarius

^ These answers I've given in the past should help.

In short, the Germans planned to annex Briey-Longwy, the center of French ore, coal, and industry, destroy France's fortifications, downsize it's army and fleet while slapping it with reparations heavy enough to prevent them re-arming in the future, and probably annex or attain leases on the Channel Ports. Germany was already France's most important economic partner prior to WWI, so bringing the French into the Mitteleuropa customs union, and dominating the French economy, shouldn't have been too difficult. They had eyes on French Equatorial Africa, Dahomey, Morocco, and on French ports in West Africa and the Western Hemisphere for the High Seas Fleet.