Alliances

Global Context

Weltpolitik and Imperialism

With Germany unified the next step is to become a Great Power like Britain and France by joining in the scramble for Africa and the Far East for colonial expansion. 'With Germany's desire to make its influence felt outside of Europe was to bring it into conflict with the more established colonial powers, particularly Britain. This further established the emergence of more alliance systems with the naval race with Germany (Admiral Tirpitz pushed for Naval laws to expand the number of battleships)

Three Emperor's League 1873

• Loose alliance between Germany, Russia

• 1879 Dual Alliance

Graham Darby:

Keystone of German foreign policy and was renewed regularly down to 1918. Germany and Austria-Hungary promised mutual aid if either of them were attacked by Russia and benevolent neutrality in case of an attack by another power. This treaty was aimed at Russia but it was essentially defensive. It was to last five years. 

• Fischer however argues that the alliance was indeed a defensive treaty, with the inclusion of Italy in 1882 did not alter the basic fact, however, gradually transformed the Triple Alliance into the basis for German ambitions as a fledgling World Power.

• Triple Alliance 1882
• The Reinsurance treaty 1887
• Three Emperor Treaty fell due to problems at the Balkans in 1885, Separate treaty with Russia to assure that there is no risk at two fronts

1907 Triple Entente

• France-Russian Dual alliance 1892-4 - ends isolation of France created by Bismarck's policy
• Ended co-operation between Russia, Germany and Austria

Contrary to popular belief, the Triple Entente was not conceived as an offensive alliance. None of the three powers pursued expansionist aims  - Immanuel Geiss, The Origins of the First World War

Germany however were threatened by the encirclement of the Entente powers.

Rogers and Thomas, Cayses, Practices and Effects of Wars
'Bismarck worked at creating a web of alliances that wold protect Germany from future attack and would allow Germany to work on consolidating its position in Europe.' Germany main aims for these alliances were to keep France isolated and allied with Russia to prevent two front war.


Fischer

The German Weltpolitik was partly created by a domestic policy, which aimed at diverting the attention of the masses from social and political problems at home by a dynamic expansion abroad

• Anglo-Japanese Alliance 1902
• Secures the far east - able to land battleships in the Far East seas