Abridged text of the Triple Alliance 20 May 1882—A close critical reading
Diahn Hess-- Mancelona Public Schools.
Reading Tasks: Students will closely read the Triple Alliance treaty make inferences when necessary.
Students will determine central ideas and analyze how they are developed. Students will analyze the
structure of the text and assess the point of view of the writer.
Vocabulary Tasks: Students will determine the meaning of the terms by using context clues and create
their own definitions.
Discussion Tasks: Students will evaluate purpose and goals within the text and the justification for the
original alliance.
Writing Tasks: Students will write an argument as to why the alliance which was intended to promote
peach in the end had the opposite effect.
Essential Question(s): What did the Triple alliance treaty mean to the alliance between Germany,
Austria-Hungary, and Italy?
Text Selection: The Triple Alliance brought Italy into the alliance previously agreed between
Germany and Austria-Hungary (in 1879) as a counterweight to France and Russia.
Under the provisions of this treaty, Germany and Austria-Hungary promised to assist Italy if
she were attacked by France, and vice versa: Italy was bound to lend aid to Germany or
Austria-Hungary if France declared war against either. Additionally, should any signatory find
itself at war with two powers (or more), the other two were to provide military assistance.
One of the chief aims of the Triple Alliance was to prevent Italy from declaring war against
Austria-Hungary, towards whom the Italians were in constant dispute over territorial matters.
Target Span: 11th Grade World History
Reading Standards hit: R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, and R8
Writing Standards hit: W1, W4, W5, W8, and W9
Directions/Introduction
As written, this lesson will guide students through multiple days of looking at a historical document. It is
meant to be a teachable model, but is freely available to be changed based on your students own
unique needs.
What should be understood however, is that with the Common Core State Standards covering literacy in
Social Studies, we need to give our students rich, complex texts in order to deepen their understanding
of our important content, as well as give them opportunities to practice literacy across the content
areas. If this is their first time, it may be rough, but students will get better at it the more practice they
have.
We chose to follow the advice of Mike Schmoker, who, in his book Focus: Elevating the Essentials to
Radically Improve Student Learning, recommends that any vocabulary which could hinder a student’s
understanding be taught in advance (Schmoker, 2011). The Core standards call for students to be able
to identify the meaning of words by the context in which they are used (National Governors Association,
2011), and by pre-teaching the vocabulary here, students still have to do this important step, even
though the vocabulary was taught in advance.
In trying to provide a research based model, for vocabulary we’re following Marzano. Marzano
identifies six steps to teaching vocabulary. We will be combining two steps (provide and restate) and
eliminating step 6 which is practicing with games (Marzano & Pickering, 2005). You may adapt the
lesson to include this step if you choose.
The recommended model for teaching each day is as follows:
Day 1: Provide Student Handout to students. Their document is complete and should be referred to
every day of the lesson. You would then do vocabulary instruction as a group (just the words for the day
from the teacher handout) and then follow the teacher directions within the document itself.
Day 2: Begin with vocabulary instructions, then follow the directions in the teacher Stage 2 handouts.
Day 3: Begin with vocabulary instruction, then follow the directions in the teacher Stage 3 handouts.
How you choose to assess this beyond what is provided here is up to you, but a discussion and activity
based around the focus question is included in Day 3.
Section/Stage 1 Teacher Page
Text Under Discussion
Vocabulary
Primary Documents - Triple Alliance, 20 May 1882
Directions for Teachers
ASK STUDENTS:
What can you infer about this reading from
the opening “the Triple Alliance brought
Italy into the alliance previously agreed
between Germany and Austria-Hungary (in
1879) as a counterweight to France and
Russia.” What is this going to be about, and
how did people feel about it?
Negotiated and signed in May 1881, the
Triple Alliance brought Italy into the alliance previously agreed
Alliance
between Germany and Austria-Hungary (in 1879) as a
counterweight to France and Russia.
Counterweight
Why is this being negotiated on May 20th?
Who is affected by this alliance?
Where?
Under the provisions of this treaty, Germany and Austria-Hungary
promised to assist Italy if she were attacked by France, and vice
What are Germany and Austria-Hungary
promising / and to whom?
versa: Italy was bound to lend aid to Germany or AustriaHungary if France declared war against either.
Additionally, should any signatory find itself at war with two
powers (or more), the other two were to provide military
assistance.
One of the chief aims of the Triple Alliance was to prevent Italy
from declaring war against Austria-Hungary, towards whom the
Signatory
What is the purpose of this part of the
passage?
Italians were in constant dispute over territorial matters.
Dispute
Have students translate this passage before
reading it together as a class.
Although regularly renewed up until the outbreak of war in 1915,
DISCUSSION:
Quote of Interest: “…Although regularly
the Triple Alliance was essentially ineffective with regard to Italy's
participation, for in 1902 (just five months after the latest
renewed up until the outbreak of war in
1915, the Triple Alliance was essentially
ineffective with regard to Italy's
participation, for in 1902 “ What does this
renewal of the Alliance) Italy reached an understanding with
France that each would remain neutral in the event of an attack
upon the other.
mean?
Abridged Text of the Triple Alliance
As the passage continues, Was it effective
with regard to Italy’s participation? Who did
they reach an understanding with?
Article 1
The High Contracting Parties mutually promise peace and
Contracting
friendship, and will enter into no alliance or engagement directed
against any one of their States.
They engage to proceed to an exchange of ideas on political and
economic questions of a general nature which may arise, and
they further promise one another mutual support within the
Mutual
limits of their own interests.
Article 2
In case Italy, without direct provocation on her part, should be
Provocation
attacked by France for any reason whatsoever, the two other
Contracting Parties shall be bound to lend help and assistance
with all their forces to the Party attacked.
This same obligation shall devolve upon Italy in case of any
aggression without direct provocation by France against Germany.
Devolve
Article 3
If one, or two, of the High Contracting Parties, without direct
provocation on their part, should chance to be attacked and to be
engaged in a war with two or more Great Powers non-signatory to
the present Treaty, the casus foederis will arise simultaneously
Simultaneously
for all the High Contracting Parties.
Article 4
In case a Great Power non-signatory to the present Treaty should
threaten the security of the states of one of the High Contracting
Parties, and the threatened Party should find itself forced on that
account to make war against it, the two others bind themselves to
Benevolent
observe towards their Ally a benevolent neutrality. Each of them
reserves to itself, in this case, the right to take part in the war, if
it should see fit, to make common cause with its Ally.
Article 5
If the peace of any of the High Contracting Parties should chance
to be threatened under the circumstances foreseen by the
Forseen
preceding Articles, the High Contracting Parties shall take counsel
together in ample time as to the military measures to be taken
with a view to eventual cooperation.
Ample
They engage henceforward, in all cases of common participation
in a war, to conclude neither armistice, nor peace, nor treaty,
except by common agreement among themselves.
Armistice
Article 6
The High Contracting Parties mutually promise secrecy as to the
contents and existence of the present Treaty.
Article 7
The present Treaty shall remain in force during the space of five
years, dating from the day of the exchange of ratifications.
Ratifications
Article 8
The ratifications of the present Treaty shall be exchanged at
Vienna within three weeks, or sooner if may be.
In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed
the present Treaty and have annexed thereto the seal of their
arms.
Done at Vienna, the twentieth day of the month of May of the
year one thousand eight hundred and eighty-two.
(L.S.) KALNOKY
(L.S.) H. VII v. REUSS
(L.S.) C. ROBILANT
Ministerial Declaration
The Royal Italian Government declares that the provisions of the
secret Treaty concluded May 20, 1882, between Italy, AustriaHungary, and Germany, cannot, as has been previously agreed,
in any case be regarded as being directed against England.
Plenipotentiaries
Annexed
Stage 1 – Additional Information/Instructions/Performance Tasks
Section/Stage 2 Teacher Page
Text Under Discussion
Vocabulary
Directions for Teachers
Stage 2 – Additional Information/Instructions/Performance Tasks
Section/Stage 3 Teacher Page
Text Under Discussion
Vocabulary
Directions for Teachers
Stage 3 – Additional Information/Instructions/Performance Tasks
Student Page
Text Under Discussion
Vocabulary
Primary Documents - Triple Alliance, 20 May 1882
Negotiated and signed in May 1881, the
Triple Alliance brought Italy into the alliance previously agreed
between Germany and Austria-Hungary (in 1879) as a
counterweight to France and Russia.
Under the provisions of this treaty, Germany and Austria-Hungary
promised to assist Italy if she were attacked by France, and vice
versa: Italy was bound to lend aid to Germany or AustriaHungary if France declared war against either.
Additionally, should any signatory find itself at war with two
powers (or more), the other two were to provide military
assistance.
One of the chief aims of the Triple Alliance was to prevent Italy
My Thoughts/Notes
from declaring war against Austria-Hungary, towards whom the
Italians were in constant dispute over territorial matters.
Although regularly renewed up until the outbreak of war in 1915,
the Triple Alliance was essentially ineffective with regard to Italy's
participation, for in 1902 (just five months after the latest
renewal of the Alliance) Italy reached an understanding with
France that each would remain neutral in the event of an attack
upon the other.
Abridged Text of the Triple Alliance
Article 1
The High Contracting Parties mutually promise peace and
friendship, and will enter into no alliance or engagement directed
against any one of their States.
They engage to proceed to an exchange of ideas on political and
economic questions of a general nature which may arise, and
they further promise one another mutual support within the
limits of their own interests.
Article 2
In case Italy, without direct provocation on her part, should be
attacked by France for any reason whatsoever, the two other
Contracting Parties shall be bound to lend help and assistance
with all their forces to the Party attacked.
This same obligation shall devolve upon Italy in case of any
aggression without direct provocation by France against
Germany.
Article 3
If one, or two, of the High Contracting Parties, without direct
provocation on their part, should chance to be attacked and to be
engaged in a war with two or more Great Powers non-signatory to
the present Treaty, the casus foederis will arise simultaneously
for all the High Contracting Parties.
Article 4
In case a Great Power non-signatory to the present Treaty should
threaten the security of the states of one of the High Contracting
Parties, and the threatened Party should find itself forced on that
account to make war against it, the two others bind themselves to
observe towards their Ally a benevolent neutrality. Each of them
reserves to itself, in this case, the right to take part in the war, if
it should see fit, to make common cause with its Ally.
Article 5
If the peace of any of the High Contracting Parties should chance
to be threatened under the circumstances foreseen by the
preceding Articles, the High Contracting Parties shall take counsel
together in ample time as to the military measures to be taken
with a view to eventual cooperation.
They engage henceforward, in all cases of common participation
in a war, to conclude neither armistice, nor peace, nor treaty,
except by common agreement among themselves.
Article 6
The High Contracting Parties mutually promise secrecy as to the
contents and existence of the present Treaty.
Article 7
The present Treaty shall remain in force during the space of five
years, dating from the day of the exchange of ratifications.
Article 8
The ratifications of the present Treaty shall be exchanged at
Vienna within three weeks, or sooner if may be.
In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed
the present Treaty and have annexed thereto the seal of their
arms.
Done at Vienna, the twentieth day of the month of May of the
year one thousand eight hundred and eighty-two.
(L.S.) KALNOKY
(L.S.) H. VII v. REUSS
(L.S.) C. ROBILANT
Ministerial Declaration
The Royal Italian Government declares that the provisions of the
secret Treaty concluded May 20, 1882, between Italy, AustriaHungary, and Germany, cannot, as has been previously agreed,
in any case be regarded as being directed against England