How Did Bismarck Build The Triple Alliance

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Emily Wang Myers Block 3/4 February 5, 2017 WWI Cause “The main thing is to make history, not to write it,” Otto von Bismarck, the German chancellor, once said. Little did he know the astronomical changes he would make in history. In 1882, Bismarck formed the Triple Alliance that composed of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, which all supported each other politically and defensively against France and other great powers (Spielvogel 756). In response, France, Great Britain, and Russia allied to create the Triple Entente (Spielvogel 756). It was these two opposing alliances that would battle each other during the bloody four years of the Great War. Alliances between the powerful nations of Europe elicited to the creation of a complex network of …show more content…

The alliances among the European countries made it so that once one country was in war, its allies would also have to join the conflict. Moreover, the rigid structure of the alliances also made it difficult to back out of war once it began. One of the conditions stated between the alliance of France and Russia in the Triple Entente said, “In case the forces of the Triple Alliance [...] should mobilize, France and Russia, at the first news of the event without the necessity of any previous convert, shall mobilize immediately [...] the whole of their forces” (DBQ Document E). This relationship was not uncommon, as it can also be seen between Germany and Austria-Hungary (DBQ Background). Due to the European nations’ unwavering support for each other militarily, war between two countries could no longer remain between just the two . As a result, when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia in 1914 in the start of the First World War, their respective allies - Germany and Russia - entered the war as well (DBQ

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