Why France formed a strong military alliance with Russia ...... Essay

After the Franco-Prussian War, Otto von Bismarck, the German Chancellor, feared retaliation from France and therefore adopted a policy of alliances to isolate France. He originally had the German, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Empires form a tri-imperial alliance, but later, at the Congress of Berlin in 1878, Russia had a conflict of interest with Austria-Hungary over the Balkans.In 1879, Germany chose to conclude a secret German-Austrian alliance with Austria-Hungary. In addition, Italy failed in its bid for Tunisia in North Africa, allowing France to annex it in 1881. To enlist support, Italy allied with Germany and Austria-Hungary in the Triple Alliance.

Russia was very unhappy to learn that Germany and Austria had signed the German-Austrian Alliance. However, Bismarck, a sophisticated politician, signed the Reinsurance Treaty with Russia in 1887 in order to maintain good relations with Russia. However, after Bismarck stepped down in 1890, the new Kaiser, Wilhelm II, did not want to maintain the alliance system set by Bismarck and allowed the treaty to be terminated, choosing instead to be allied only with Austria. France, after providing capital to Russia for its industrialization, entered into a military alliance with Russia in 1894, which became the Franco-Russian Alliance.

Britain, in view of the increasing expansion of France in Egypt and Russia in the Balkans, which threatened the trade routes of the British Empire to the Far East, formed the Mediterranean Agreement with Italy on February 12, 1887, which guaranteed the maintenance of the status quo in the Mediterranean Sea, the Adriatic Sea, and the Black Sea, while Italy supported the British action in Egypt. With the support of German Prime Minister Bismarck, Austria-Hungary and Spain joined the agreement, which was the First Mediterranean Agreement. In December of the same year, Britain, Austria and Italy agreed to maintain the status quo in the Near East against the influence of Russia on the Turkish empire, which was the Second Mediterranean Agreement. However, the two agreements did not specify that Britain should undertake specific military obligations, so Britain did not give up its glorious isolation policy. It was not until the expansion of the German navy threatened Britain's right to control the sea that Britain began to seek allies in Europe. 1904 Britain finally signed the Anglo-French Entente with France, but this agreement was not a military alliance, but an agreement to settle the colonial disputes between the two countries; compared to the Austro-German alliance or Franco-Russian alliance, its cooperation was undoubtedly looser. However, during the First Moroccan Crisis, this agreement fully reflected the firm partnership between Britain and France. Encouraged by France, Britain and Russia finally ended their colonial dispute in 1907 with the Anglo-Russian Treaty. In the same year, France, Britain and Russia, concerned about German expansion in the Ottoman Empire, formed the Triple Entente.

Europe has since been divided into two camps, so as long as there is any breeze, there is the possibility of evolving into a world war, the First World War was caused by the assassination of the Crown Prince Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary.