At the time, the Allies were being pushed back on all fronts, having been defeated in the Battle of the Frontiers on the Western Front and the Battle of Tannenberg in the East. Consequently, the German leadership expected imminent victory, and the territorial and economic demands made in the Septemberprogramm indicate this. However, as he was making his announcement, the First Battle of the Marne was hanging in the balance; ultimately, France and the United Kingdom would halt the German advance at the Marne, and turn the tide of the war, preventing Bethmann-Hollweg's plans from coming to fruition.
