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Three Emperors League
OUTLINE
Germany focused on keeping France isolated
and vulnerable after defeating it in the FrancoPrussian War. The Germans founded The
Three Emperors’ League consisting of
Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia
BACKGROUND INFO: GERMANY
Before 1871 Germany was a loose union of independent
kingdoms known as the Holy Roman Empire.
The largest of these kingdoms, Prussia, increasingly
dominated the other German states; the Prussian king’s
chief minister, Otto von Bismarck, put together a plan to
weld the German-speaking kingdoms together into a
modern nation-state under the rule of Prussia.
The heavily industrialized new Germany soon
possessed the most powerful economy in Europe and
sought a military to match.
Germany turned into a world power almost over night,
which struck tension the traditional alignments within
Europe.
RISE OF BISMARCK
The alliance system was started by Bismarck, from 1871 to
1890.
After the Franco-Prussian War, Bismarck held that Germany was
a satisfied state; no need for further expansion.
Bismarck organized a system of alliances to maintain Germany's
supremacy on the European continent.
France was determined to challenge the power of Germany
because France had been defeated by Germany in 1871 and had
been forced to surrender two provinces (Alsace-Lorraine) to
Germany.
Bismarck tried to befriend Austria, Russia, Italy and Britain in
order to isolate France.
TEL; DREIKAISERBUND 1872
Bismarck's aim for forming this League was to isolate
France by making friends with Austria and Russia.
The partners were Kaiser William I of Germany, Czar
Alexander II of Russia and Emperor Francis Joseph of
Austria.
 These three rulers agreed:
(i) to maintain the existing territorial arrangements in Europe;
(ii) to resist the spread of revolutionary (e.g. socialist
movements;
(iii) to consult one another if any international difficulties
arose.
CONFLICTS WITHIN TEL
TEL was a powerful military alliance although
Germany often had to prevent clashes between the Austrian
and Russian allies
 Both aimed for the small and weak Balkan states such as
Bosnia and Serbia
The new Kaiser Wilhelm II inherited the throne; the younger
emperor fired Bismarck and took over Germany’s foreign affairs
himself.
 Wilhelm II dismissed Russia from the three-power alliance to
show his solidarity with the Austrians.
The French succeeded in signing the Russians to a military
alliance (Germany with Austria-Hungary versus France with
Russia)
BASIS OF WW1 ALLIANCE SYSTEM
 The French joining Russia and leaving Germany
with Austria formed the basis of World War I alliance
system.
The French brought the British into the pact with
Russia (The Triple Entente, 1908).
WORK CITED
"Background to the War Nobody Won: World War I, 1914-1918."
Http://iws.collin.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2012.
"League of the Three Emperors." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 July
2012. Web. 07 Dec. 2012.
"World War I." Alliance System / System of Alliances. N.p., 2000-2007. Web.
07 Dec. 2012.