Name _________________________________________ Period ______
THE ALLIANCE SYSTEM IN EUROPE
The Unification of Germany
Prussia Defeats Austria!
Bismarck's _____________ troops defeated _____________ in 1866.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________.
Franco-Prussian War
_______________________________________.
_______________________________________ (1871)
- Germany takes French provinces of __________________________ and France has to pay war
reparations.
France left very bitter and wants revenge!
Otto von Bismarck unifies Germany
Bismarck was Prime Minister of Prussia
Credited with ______________________________________________________________________________ to
create Germany in 1871.
Named ____________________________________________.
A Period of Relative Peace & Stability
The unification of Germany helped to bring a period of peace between the major European
powers.
Germany now dominant power - both _______________________________________
Germany's geographic location left them vulnerable to attack from three sides:
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
Bismarck sets out to ____________________________________________ with other European
nations for their own security
Example: Wants to isolate France, fearing French retaliation for its loss in the FrancoPrussian War
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Name _________________________________________ Period ______
The Three Emperors' League (1873)
Agreement between ______________________ (Russia), _________________________ (AustriaHungary) and _____________________________ (Germany)
Hoped that regular meetings between monarchs would reduce disputes over
the _____________
________________________________
Collapsed by 1879
The Balkans
___________________________________________________ had rival claims to the Balkans.
Austria-Hungary said it was part of the __________________________________
Russia wanted to gain access to the _______________________________ on the Black Sea.
Bismarck's Alliances
1. ______________________________________ (1879)
Defensive Alliance between ________________________________________________
Each country would come to each other's aid in event of attack by __________________
Each country would _________________________ if attacked by another country.
2. _____________________________________ (1882)
Extension of Dual Alliance
____________________________________________________
Italy joined for national security and to get back at France for taking Tunisia the
year before.
Offered ____________________________ if attacked by one of the great powers
3. _____________________________________(1887)
There were a few issues with the Triple Alliance:
_________________________________ were traditionally enemies & neither had a strong
enough army to really come to Germany's aid if necessary
Germany also feared ___________________________ with Russia (to the east) and France
(to the west).
Reinsurance Treaty between Germany & Russia guaranteed neutrality in any war as
long as Germany didn't attack France and Russia didn't attack Austria-Hungary.
Cause for Concern?
Even though all of Bismarck's alliances were entirely defensive in nature and intended to
preserve peace, the secrecy of the negotiations gave rise to concerns among the countries
not involved.
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Name _________________________________________ Period ______
Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859 - 1941)
Became Kaiser of Germany in 1888
Constant conflicts between the Kaiser and ___________________________
He was determined to increase German power, even though Bismarck warned it would lead
to Germany's downfall.
The Kaiser dismissed Bismarck as chancellor in 1890.
Wilhelm begins adopting more aggressive policies, including ___________________________
and developing German navy.
Concerned for their own security, these new German policies pushed
__________________________________________________________
German Naval Development
Change in German policy threatens Britain
Britain had the ________________________________ and the desire for Germany to build up their
own navy threatened the British.
The British embarked on their own building program
The British created a super-battleship ________________________ in 1906.
The Germans responded with their own ____________________________ and
________________________________ developed, only increasing tensions between the two
nations.
Uniting Against Germany
Fearing Wilhelm's aggressive policies, World powers ally against the Germans
The Franco-Russian Alliance (1894)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________.
Russia felt threatened.
France had been improving relations with the Russians since 1888, by providing loans to
Russia to improve their military.
France and Russia decided to ________________________________________________
It was agreed that the alliance would remain in place as long as the
_____________________________ existed.
The Anglo-Japanese Alliance (1902)
German naval development caused Britain to depart from isolationism
___________________________________________
This offered Britain some protection to ______________________________________________ in the
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Name _________________________________________ Period ______
event of war.
The Entente Cordiale (1904)
____________________________ had a long history of troubled relations but German buildup
required that they reevaluate their relationship
The Entente Cordiale was a series of agreements designed to settle a number of disputes
between Britain and France.
_____________________________________________________________________________.
_____________________________________________________________________________.
The agreement also provided additional security against the threat from ________________ or
any of the _______________________________ nations.
The Anglo-Russian Entente (1907)
Russia was also becoming fearful of Germany's intentions.
They were afraid that Germany & Austria-Hungary would take over parts of ________________
and threaten Russian access through the _______________________.
The Dardanelles were essential for Russian trade!
Because Russia was ____________________________________ underdeveloped, Britain no longer
viewed the Russians as _____________________ to their imperial ambitions in the Far East.
The British and the Russians realized the _________________ posed a much bigger threat so
they formed the Anglo-Russian Entente.
The Triple Entente (1907)
_____________________________________ were all tied together by a series of friendly alliances.
This became known as the Triple Entente
Two Opposing Camps
All the major powers of Europe are tied up in alliance systems that will lead to problems in
the very near future!
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