"The Double Alliance"

- CONTENT -
THE DOUBLE ALLIANCE WAS AN ALLIANCE SIGNED BETWEEN THE GERMAN EMPIRE AND THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN EMPIRE ON 7 OCTOBER 1879. ACCORDING TO THE AGREEMENT, THESE COUNTRIES PLEDGED TO ASSIST ONE ANOTHER IN THE EVENT OF AN ATTACK BY THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE. IN ADDITION, THE COUNTRIES PROMISED TO REMAIN NEUTRAL IN THE EVENT THAT IT WOULD BE ATTACKED BY ANOTHER EUROPEAN FORCE (I.E., PROBABLY, WAS MAINLY TO FRANCE, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE TREATY SIGNED BETWEEN RUSSIA AND FRANCE IN 1892).

AFTER THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE GERMAN EMPIRE IN 1871, THE GERMAN CHANCELLOR OTTO VON BISMARCK WANTED TO GIVE HIS COUNTRY AN IMAGE OF A PEACEKEEP AND THE EUROPEAN STATUS QUO. IN 1878, RUSSIA DEFEATED THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE IN THE RUSSIAN-TURKISH WAR. THE SAN STEFANO CONTRACT SIGNED AFTER THE WAR GAVE RUSSIA INFLUENCE IN THE BALKANS. THE CONTRACT CLAUSES INCLUDED THE CONCESSION OF TURKEY ON IMPORTANT PROPERTIES, A PLEDGE TO GIVE INDEPENDENCE TO ROMANIA AND SERBIA, AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A LARGE BULGARIAN STATE. THIS DEVELOPMENT SPARKED THE ANGER OF AUSTRO-HUNGARY, WHICH WAS RUSSIA’S MAIN ATTRACTION TO INFLUENCE THE BALKANS (THOUGH IT WAS THE ALLY OF RUSSIA AND GERMANY IN THE THREE EMPERORS ALLIANCE). BISMARCK, WHO SAW THAT HIS EFFORTS TO BRING HIM HIS TWO MAIN ALLIES, RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA-HUNGARY, ARE IN CHAOS, DECIDES IN 1878 TO CONVENE AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE (CONGREGATE BERLIN) TO RESOLVE THE CONFLICT PEACEFULLY. THE BERLIN TREATY SIGNED AT THE CONFERENCE HAS ELIMINATED RUSSIA’S INFLUENCE FOLLOWING THE SAN STEFANO CONTRACT, AND HAS GIVEN THE AUSTRIAN-HUNGARY COMPENSATION FOR THE LOST TERRITORY. DESPITE BISMARCK'S ATTEMPTS TO PLAY THE ROLE OF THE "FAIR INTERMEDIARY" IN CONGRESS, THE RELATIONS BETWEEN RUSSIA AND GERMANY DETERIORATED FOLLOWING CONGRESS. THE RUSSIAN ANGER WAS MAINLY DUE TO THE DIVISION OF SOME OF THE TERRITORIES TO THE GREAT POWERS, ALTHOUGH THEY DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE WAR EFFORT AGAINST TURKEY. (THE UK RECEIVED CYPRUS, AND AUSTRIA-HUNGARY WAS GIVEN ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL OF BOSNIA AND ROMANIA.) THE THREE EMPERORS CAME TO THE CATHEDRAL, THUS GERMANY AND AUSTRIA-HUNGARY WERE FREE TO BREAK TOGETHER AGAINST RUSSIA.

IN 1881, THE KINGDOM OF ITALY LOST A STRUGGLE AGAINST FRANCE TO ESTABLISH COLONY IN TUNISIA. TO RAISE DIPLOMATIC SUPPORT, ITALY JOINED GERMANY AND AUSTRIA-HUNGARY AND CREATED THE TRIPLE ALLIANCE IN 1882. IT WAS THE FIRST ALLIANCE IN A COMPLEX SYSTEM OF ALLIANCES.

HOWEVER, DURING WORLD WAR I, ITALY DID NOT JOIN ITS ALLIES IN THE WAR, BUT REMAINED NEUTRAL. IN 1915, SHE JOINED THE COUNTRIES OF CONSENT AND DECLARED WAR ON AUSTRO-HUNGARY, AND EVEN GERMANY NEXT YEAR. THE DOUBLE ALLIANCE TOOK PLACE IN THE WAR AND ENDED IN THE DEFEAT OF THE STATES IN 1918.

EXTERNAL LINKS

MILITARY ALLIANCES
THE GERMAN EMPIRE: ART AND AGREEMENTS
ART AND CONVENTIONS IN THE 19TH CENTURY
AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN EMPIRE: ART AND AGREEMENTS
RELATIONS OF AUSTRIA-GERMANY