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European military alliances prior to World War
I.
Triple Entente
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Triple Entente (from French entente [

t]
"friendship, understanding, agreement") was the
alliance linking the Russian Empire, the French Third
Republic, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland after the signing of the Anglo-Russian
Entente on August 31, 1907. The alliance of the three
powers, supplemented by agreements with Portugal
and Japan, constituted a powerful counterweight to the
Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and the
Kingdom of Italy.
Historians continue to debate the importance of the
alliance system in igniting the Great War. At the start
of World War I in 1914, all three of the Triple Entente entered it as Allies against the Central Powers
Germany and Austria-Hungary.
[1]
Contents
1 Origins
1.1 French Isolation
1.2 Franco-Russian Alliance
1.3 Entente cordiale
1.4 Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907
2 Participating nations
2.1 Britain
2.2 French Third Republic
2.3 Russian Empire
3 See also
4 Notes
5 References
Origins
French Isolation
Russia had previously been a member of the League of the Three Emperors with Austria-Hungary and
Germany, an alliance established in 1873 between Tsar Alexander II, Emperor Franz Joseph I and
Kaiser Wilhelm I. The alliance was part of the German Chancellor Otto von Bismarcks plan to isolate
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France diplomatically; he feared France had revanchist aspirations and might try to regain her 1871
losses,
[2]
and to fight against progressive sentiments the conservative rulers found unsettling, such as the
First International.
[3]
However, the League faced great difficulty with the growing tensions between the Russian Empire and
Austria-Hungary. These tensions revolved mainly over the Balkans where, with the rise of nationalism
and the continued decline of the Ottoman Empire, many former Ottoman provinces struggled for
independence.
[4]
The situation in the Balkans (especially in the wake of the Serbo-Bulgarian War) and the 1878 Treaty of
Berlin, which left Russia feeling cheated of her gains made in the Russo-Turkish War led to the League
not being renewed in 1887.
[5]
In an attempt to stop Russia from allying with France, Bismarck signed the secret Reinsurance Treaty
with Russia in 1887, assuring both parties would remain neutral toward each other should war break
out.
[6]
Due to the alliance between Russia and France, and Bismarcks exclusion of Russia from the German
financial market in 1887, the treaty was not renewed, ending the alliance between Germany and
Russia.
[7]
Franco-Russian Alliance
Despite the Reinsurance Treaty, the Russian leadership was alarmed at the countrys diplomatic isolation
and entered the Franco-Russian Alliance in 1894.
[7]
Entente cordiale
In 1904, Britain and France signed a series of agreements called the Entente cordiale. These agreements
directly concerned colonies.
The Entente heralded the end of British neutrality in Europe. It was partly a response to growing German
antagonism, as expressed in the expansion of the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) into a battle fleet
that could threaten the supremacy of the Royal Navy.
Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907
In 1907 Britain and Russia signed an agreement called the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907. It
stopped their rivalry in Central Asia (The Great Game).
Participating nations
Britain
In the last decade of the 19th century, Britain continued its policy of "splendid isolation", with its
primary focus on defending its massive overseas empire. However, by the early 1900s the German threat
increased dramatically. Some in Britain thought it was in need of allies. For most of the 19th century,
Britain had regarded France and Russia as its two most dangerous rivals, but with the growing threat of
Germany, British policy began to change.
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The three main reasons were:
1. France and Britain had signed five separate agreements regarding spheres of influence in North
Africa in 1904. This came to be known as the Entente Cordiale. The Tangier Crisis which
followed encouraged co-operation between the two countries, given their mutual fear of apparent
German expansionism.
2. Russia was defeated in the Russo-Japanese War. This display of weakness resulted in less concern
over Russian imperialism and encouraged Russia to secure its position elsewhere. France was
already allied to Russia in the Dual Alliance.
3. Britain was extremely concerned about the rising threat of German imperialism. Kaiser Wilhelm II
had announced to the world his intentions to create a global German empire and to develop a
strong navy. Britaintraditionally having control of the seassaw this as a serious threat to its
own empire and navy.
In 1907, the Anglo-Russian Entente was agreed, which attempted to resolve a series of long-running
disputes over Persia, Afghanistan and Tibet, as well as helping to address British fears about German
expansion in the Near East.
French Third Republic
During the Franco-Prussian War of 18701871, Prussia defeated the Second French Empire, resulting in
the establishment of the Third Republic. In the Treaty of Frankfurt, Prussia forced France to cede
Alsace-Lorraine to the new German Empire. Ever since, relations had been at an all time low. France
worried about the escalating military development of Germanybegan building up its own war
industries and army as a deterrent to German aggression. As another measure, France developed a strong
bond with Russia by ratifying the Franco-Russian Alliance, which was designed to create a strong
counter to the Triple Alliance. Frances main concerns were to protect against an attack from Germany,
and to regain Alsace-Lorraine.
Russian Empire
Russia possessed, by far, the largest manpower reserves of all the six European powers, but was also the
most backward economically. Russia shared Frances worries about Germany. After the Germans started
to reorganize the Turkish army, Russia feared that they would come to control the Dardanelles, a vital
trade artery which accounted for two fifths of Russia's exports.
[8]
This was also coupled with Russia's long history of rivalry with Austria-Hungary. Austria-Hungary had
recently annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina, angering Russia immensely. Russia had considered itself the
leader of the Slavic world (Pan-Slavism) and viewed the invasion as another step towards annexing
Serbia and Montenegro. To counteract Austria-Hungarys aggression into the Balkans, Russia pledged to
aid Serbia militarily if invaded.
Russia had also recently lost the humiliating Russo-Japanese War in 1905, resulting in a revolutionary
uprising and apparent transformation into a constitutional monarchy. To counter its enemies militarily
and politically, Russia sought to revive the Franco-Russian Alliance. Although it was perceived as
useless during the war with Japan, in the European theatre it was invaluable. Russia signed the Anglo-
Russian Convention of 1907 with Britain to counteract the threat of the Triple Alliance.
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1914 Russian poster. The upper
inscription reads "agreement".
The uncertain Britannia (right)
and Marianne (left) look to the
determined Mother Russia
(centre) to lead them in the
coming war.
The alignment of the autocratic Russian Empire with Europe's two
largest democracies was not without controversy on both sides.
Many Russian conservatives mistrusted the secular French
Republic, and recalled British diplomatic manuvers to block Russian
influence in the Near East; in turn, prominent French and British
journalists, academics, and parliamentarians found the reactionary
tsarist regime distasteful. The mistrust persisted even during
wartime, with British and French politicians expressing relief when
Tsar Nicholas II abdicated in favor of a Provisional Government in
1917. An initial offer of political asylum for the Romanovs was
subsequently withdrawn by the British government due to fears of a
public backlash; for the same reason, the French Republic never
broached the subject of asylum with the deposed tsar.
See also
Allies of World War I
Central Powers (allies of Germany in World War I)
Notes
References
Albrecht-Carri, Ren. (1958) A Diplomatic History of Europe Since the Congress of Vienna
Feuchtwanger, E. J. (2002). Bismarck (Routledge. ISBN 0-415-21614-1)
Gildea, Robert (2003). Barricades and Borders: Europe 1800-1914 (Oxford University Press.
ISBN 0-19-925300-5)
Henig, Ruth Beatrice (2002). The origins of the First World War (Routledge. ISBN 0-415-26185-
6)
Holborn, Hajo (1982). A History of Modern Germany: 1840-1945 (Princeton University Press.
ISBN 0-691-00797-7)
Schmitt, Bernadotte. Triple Alliance and Triple Entente (1971)
1. ^ Robert Gildea, Barricades and Borders: Europe 1800-1914 (3rd
ed. 2003) ch 15
2. ^ Feuchtwanger 2002, p. 216.
3. ^ Gildea 2003, p. 237.
4. ^ Henig 2002, p.3.
5. ^ Holborn 1982, p. 247.
6. ^ Holborn 1982, p. 249.
7. ^
a

b
Holborn 1982, pp. 304-305.
8. ^ Fiona K. Tomaszewski, A Great Russia: Russia and the Triple
Entente, 1905 to 1914 (2002)
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Sontag, Raymond. European Diplomatic History: 1871-1932 (1933), basic short summary
Taylor, A.J.P. The Struggle for Mastery in Europe 18481918 (1954) advanced coverage
Tomaszewski, Fiona K. A Great Russia: Russia and the Triple Entente, 1905 to 1914 (2002)
excerpt and text search (http://www.amazon.com/Great-Russia-Triple-Entente-
1905/dp/0275973662/)
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Categories: Causes of World War I France in World War I British Empire in World War I
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