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Beating children to death for speaking Polish in school - no. But firing Prussian/German State employees (e.g. Reihsbahn) for speaking Polish - yes.

This was to be in the western part of Congress Poland. Nevertheless, in Prussia from 1914 (or 1913) onwards being Polish was grounds for Eminent Domain dispossession. Nasty. But broadly in line with contemporary treatment of minorities in France, Britain, USA ...

From what I've read Russian troops in 1914 were well behaved, as well behaved as Germans in Belgium and France. I agree that Ostpreussen and its 2,5M Germans held a symbolic importance exceeding the relevance of the province. Lusitania - oh, yes, that war contraband carrying ship ... Hmm - we...

Yes, I edited as I was not sure of some of my earlier bombast :) Just to the north of Graudenz a big swamp, the Vistula delta begins, hence Marienwerder and Marienburg are the only crossings (the RR through Marienburg runs to Danzig). Would the Germans denude the fortresses of their garrisons...

All the bridge crossings over the lower Vistula were fortified - holding that line was easy.

LOL! The so-called Schlieffen Plan working is ASB-ish, IMO. However, for a non-miraculous German victory - no Verdun in 1916 but continued Russia-bashing, a repeat of 1915. This leaves A-H in better condition and knocks Russia out a year earlier.

1 - I think that German designs could easily be tempered down by their allies. It is my belief that had the Entente made peace ouvertures to A-H it would had jumped at the opportunity to bail out. As a result Germany would had been forced to chose between pushing its aims on its own, or...