From the History of Creation of the Triple Alliance in 1882

Abstract

After the Congress of Berlin, the main direction of German diplomacy was identified – to find allies and thereby strengthen the isolation of the French. The first step in this regard was formation of alliance between Germany and Austria-Hungary’s in October 1879. Said alliance was directed against Russia, but Bismarck was trying to reduce disagreements with Russia, in order to avoid causing displeasure to Emperor Wilhelm I. With this alliance Bismarck deprived France of a potential ally, laid the foundation for an anti-Russian and began involving Italy into alliance in order to strengthen France’s isolated position.

            The French conquest of Tunisia in May 1881 accelerated Italy's efforts to draw closer to Berlin and Vienna. The aspirations of these three coincided with each other's interests, and on May 20, 1882, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy signed an alliance treaty called the Triple Alliance. It was signed for five years, then extended several times, and lasted until 1915, when Italy moved to the Entente camp due to pragmatic considerations. Allies pledged to help each other in case of an attack by another state. The creation of the Triple Alliance represented a great victory for Bismarck and German diplomacy, eliminating the possibility of a German-Italian rapprochement and strengthening France's isolation on the European continent. At the same time, it left the Allies with hopes of joint action in case of a complication of the situation in Europe and the colonies.