The Alliance System and International Rivalry, 1905-14 » The Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente

Before you start

'The Origins and Course of the First World War, 1905-18' is one of the five historical investigations in Paper 2 Section A. You study only one of the five, so work through these lessons only if this is one of your chosen options.

Europe in two camps

In 1905 Europe had six great powers: Britain, France, Russia, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. None of them felt safe alone. Each wanted friends who would help if war came, so over about thirty years they tied themselves together with agreements. By 1907 the six powers stood in two groups. Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy formed the Triple Alliance. France, Russia and Britain formed the Triple Entente.

The two groups were not the same kind of thing, and the exam expects you to know the difference.

Key terms:

• Great power: one of the strongest countries in Europe, with a large army or navy and a say in world affairs
• Alliance: a formal treaty in which countries promise to give each other military help in set circumstances
• Entente: a French word for a friendly understanding. Countries settle their quarrels and agree to co-operate, but make no promise to fight
• Defensive alliance: an alliance that only comes into force if a member is attacked
• Encirclement: Germany's fear of being surrounded by unfriendly powers on both sides

The Triple Alliance

The Triple Alliance was the older group. It grew out of the work of Otto von Bismarck, the German chancellor. Germany had beaten France in the war of 1870-71 and taken the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine. Bismarck knew France wanted revenge, so his aim was to keep France without allies.

• 1879, the Dual Alliance: Germany and Austria-Hungary promised to help each other if either was attacked by Russia.
• 1882, the Triple Alliance: Italy joined them. Italy was angry that France had taken Tunis in North Africa in 1881, a land Italy had wanted for itself.

The Triple Alliance was a defensive alliance. Germany and Austria-Hungary promised to help Italy if France attacked it, and Italy promised to help Germany if France attacked Germany. The treaty was renewed several times, the last time in 1912, and its exact terms were kept secret.

It had one weak link. Italy and Austria-Hungary were old rivals, because Austria-Hungary still ruled Italian-speaking areas such as Trentino and Trieste. In 1902 Italy made a secret agreement with France, promising to stay neutral if France was attacked. Germany could really count on only one partner, Austria-Hungary.

The formation of the Triple Entente

The Triple Entente was not made by one treaty. It was formed in three steps over thirteen years.

Step 1: France and Russia

While Bismarck was in charge, Germany kept a treaty of friendship with Russia. In 1890 the new German emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, dismissed Bismarck and let that treaty run out. Russia now had no ally, and France had been alone since 1871. The two were very different: France was a republic and Russia was ruled by a Tsar with almost total power. But both feared Germany, and French banks were lending Russia large sums to build railways and factories. They agreed a military plan in 1892, and the alliance was complete by 1894.

This was exactly what Bismarck had tried to prevent. Germany now faced an unfriendly power on its western border and another on its eastern border, and the two were allies.

Step 2: Britain and France

In the late nineteenth century Britain stayed out of European alliances and relied on its navy and its empire. This policy is often called 'splendid isolation'. Britain and France were rivals, and in 1898 they came close to war over Fashoda in the Sudan.

By 1904 both wanted to end the quarrel. In the Entente Cordiale of April 1904, France accepted British control of Egypt and Britain accepted that France could take the lead in Morocco. Other disputes over colonies were tidied up as well. Nothing in it said that Britain would fight for France.

Step 3: Britain and Russia

Britain and Russia had been rivals in Asia for decades, because Britain feared Russia might threaten India. In 1904-05 Russia lost a war against Japan, which left it weaker and keener to make friends. In August 1907 the two signed the Anglo-Russian Entente:

• Persia (modern Iran) was divided into a Russian zone in the north, a British zone in the south-east and a neutral zone between them.
• Russia accepted that Afghanistan was in Britain's area of influence.
• Both agreed to keep out of Tibet.

Britain, France and Russia were now linked. People began to call the group the Triple Entente.

How strong were the two groups?

From 1906 British and French army officers held secret talks about how they might work together in a war. Even so, the British government insisted it was still free to decide for itself.

How the alliances raised suspicion

Each power said its own agreements were defensive and were there to keep the peace. The trouble was how they looked to the other side.

• Germany feared encirclement. With France to the west, Russia to the east and Britain now friendly with both, German leaders believed they were being surrounded. To them the Triple Entente looked like a plot to hold Germany down.
• The Entente powers feared Germany. Germany had the strongest army in Europe and sat at the centre of the Triple Alliance. To France and Russia this looked like a block built to dominate the continent.
• Secrecy made it worse. The exact terms of the two military alliances were secret, and the Entente Cordiale had secret clauses too. Governments had to guess what their rivals had promised each other, and they tended to assume the worst.
• Quarrels could spread. A dispute between two powers could now draw in their partners. Each side also became afraid of letting its partner down, in case it was left alone.

The alliances did not make war certain. What they did was split Europe into two camps that watched each other with growing distrust. You will see this distrust at work in the next lessons on rivalry, the Balkans and the crisis of July 1914.

Exam-style question

Describe TWO features of EITHER the Triple Alliance OR the Triple Entente. [6 marks]