Bismarck’s System of
Alliances
The House of Cards
Safety In Numbers
Bismarck's plans to protect Germany led to
a system of alliances that were to
dominate European politics.
 Germany was faced with several foreign
policy problems almost immediately.
 Austria-Hungary wanted German support to
expand into the Balkan region of Eastern
Europe
 Russia also wanted German support for her
efforts to be the leader of the Slavic
people in the same area of the Balkans.

The Problem With Friends is …
Problems came to a head when Russia
became involved in a war with Turkey.
 The war was fought over who should control
the Balkan region.
 England threatened to go to war to support
Turkey, and Austria-Hungary was angry that
Russia was involved in the Balkans.
 Bismarck was expected to support Russia,
Austria-Hungary, and keep his powerful
armies ready to defend against France.

The Congress of Berlin

As a result of this potentially dangerous political situation, Bismarck held a
large European meeting to hopefully fix the problem.

The Congress of Berlin (1878) allowed Bismarck to orchestrate a deal to end
the dangerous situation.

At the end of the congress, Austria-Hungary received control of various
regions of the Balkans while the Russians gained nothing.

The Russians were angered over the lack of support it received from
Bismarck's dealings.

This situation became a major concern for Bismarck during the following
months.
The Dual Alliance

In summary, Russia was not happy with the
final results of the Congress of Berlin.

Bismarck was quick to pick up on this
feeling and wanted to take further steps to
protect his country against the threat of
Russia and France.

Thus, in 1879, he turned to Austria-Hungary
and offered a treaty that became known as
the Dual Alliance.
Insecurity Instead of Security

The Dual Alliance was a landmark treaty in European history. It
was a new type of treaty between nations for several reasons:

1. Usually in European history, war treaties were signed just before
fighting broke out or, they were for a very specific purpose. The Dual
Alliance was signed during peacetime.
2. The treaty had no time limit. In other words, there was no end
point for the agreement. It would last as long as the counties agreed
to it. Traditionally, most treaties were limited to a set period of time.
3. No country was identified as an enemy to the countries involved.
The alliance did not name the country (ies) that the treaty applied
to. With no declared enemy, all countries feared that they were the
one the alliance was against. This created paranoia amongst all
European countries.
4. The goals and purpose of the alliance were kept secret to
everyone except the two signing countries. This contributed to the
suspicions of other European countries that the deal was against
them.
Benefits for Germany

The Dual Alliance gave Bismarck a sense of
security for his new nation.

The agreement called for mutual defense and
assistance if either partner was attacked by a
third power.

Bismarck could now count upon a powerful ally
should she be attacked
Fears Across Europe

Russia became very paranoid and fearful of German
intentions.

She believed that the Dual Alliance was directed
against her.

These fears drove Russia to open up negotiations with
Germany to perhaps form an alliance of their own.
Keep Russia Happy

Bismarck was quick to grasp the need to keep
Russia happy.

His fears were supported by the concerns of
German military commanders.

They were worried about having to fight France
and Russia at the same time, in two different
directions.
The Reinsurance Treaty

Military philosophy dictates that an army should not fight a two-front
war.

A war of this type does not allow for a concentration of military forces
and resources necessary to defeat the enemy.

Instead, it forces an army to divide its attention and armed forces in
two. Both of the forces are now weaker, which invites defeat.

As a result of the Russian offer and the fears of the German military,
Bismarck offered the Reinsurance Treaty to the Russians.

He hoped that the treaty would eliminate the possibility of a twofront war, and also reduced political instability between Germany and
Russia.