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The Battle of Tannenberg allowed the Germans to sweep the Russians out of East Prussia. However, Ludendorff and Von Hindenburg did not have enough men to go on the offensive. However, the Russian army was never again to threaten German territory. Tannenberg allowed the Germans to concentrate their forces in the west <ref> Hastings, p. 113</ref>. Once East Prussian was secure the German High Command was able to concentrate all its efforts on the western front<ref> Strachan, p. 114</ref>. Ludendorff and Von Hindenburg used the victory to establish their reputation in Germany, they are widely seen as the saviors of the nation. Their victory and later successes allowed them to eventually to become the commanders of the German Army and the de-facto military dictators of Germany by 1918. On the face of it, the Battle of Tannenberg was a great victory. However, this German victory may have come at a cost. Not long after the great victory at Tannenberg and as the Germans were sweeping the Russians from all over East Prussia, they suffered a defeat in the west. At the Battle of the Marne, the French and British defeated the Germans and halted their advance on Paris<ref> Harrison, p. 29</ref>. The troops that are diverted by Von Moltke to the east could have titled the balance in the west and allowed the Germans to capture Paris and end the war. As a result, many historians have questioned if the Battle was such a great victory for the Germans <ref> Strachan, p. 118</ref>.

==Reasons for the German Victory==