Russia, Germany and the Alliance System, 18721914

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Russia, Germany and the Alliance System, 1872-1914

• Dr Alastair Kocho-Williams

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Questions

• Why did Germany and Russia conclude an alliance
  in the late 19th Century?
• Why was this alliance abandoned?
• Why did Russia enter into an alliance with France
  in the 1890s?
• Did the alliance system make war more likely?
• How important was the alliance system in
  explaining why Germany declared war on Russia in
  1914?

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The Alliance System 1872-1914

• 1872 Three Emperors League (Dreikaiserbund)
• 1879 Dual Alliance
• 1881 Dreikaiserbund renewed
• 1882 Triple Alliance
• 1887 Reinsurance Treaty
• 1894 Franco-Russian Alliance
• 1904 Entente Cordiale
• 1907 Anglo-Russian Convention

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Did the alliance system make war more likely?

• All alliances aimed at defense for war in Europe
• Underlying tensions and problems were never
  solved
• The Alliance system divided Europe and ensured
  that war would involve all parties
• Imperial ambitions lead to conflict

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