Creation of the Entente year. Formation of the Triple Alliance and the Entente. Creation of the Triple Alliance

A well-known example of the opposition of political blocs in international scene is the collision of large countries during the 1900s.

In a period of tension before the events of the First World War, powerful players in the world arena united together to dictate their policies and have an advantage in resolving foreign policy issues. In response, an alliance was formed to counterbalance these events.

This is how the history of confrontation begins, the basis of which was the Entente and the Triple Alliance. Another name is Antanta or Entente (translated as "heartfelt consent").

Countries - members of the Triple Alliance

The international military bloc, which was originally formed to strengthen hegemony, included the following list of countries (see table):

1. Germany- played a key role in the formation of the alliance, having concluded the first military agreement.
2. Austro-hungary- the second participant to join the German Empire.
3. Italy- joined the union last.

A little later, after the events of World War I, Italy was withdrawn from the bloc, but nevertheless the coalition did not disintegrate, but on the contrary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria were additionally included in it.

Creation of the Triple Alliance

The history of the Triple Alliance begins with an allied agreement between the German Empire and Austria-Hungary - these events took place in the Austrian city of Vienna in 1879.

The main point of the agreement was the obligation to enter hostilities on the side of the ally, if aggression was made from the side Russian Empire.

In addition, the pact established the requirement to comply with the neutral side if the allies were attacked by someone other than Russia.

At the same time, Germany was worried about the strengthening position in the international arena of France. Therefore, Otto von Bismarck was looking for ways to push France into isolation.

Favorable conditions developed in 1882, when the Austrian Habsburgs were involved in the negotiations, which played a decisive role in Italy's decision.

The secret alliance between Italy and the Germany-Austria-Hungary bloc consisted in providing support by troops in the event of military aggression by France, as well as maintaining neutrality in an attack on one of the coalition member countries.

The goals of the Triple Alliance in World War I

The main goal of the Triple Alliance on the eve of the war was the creation of such a military-political coalition, which in its power would oppose the alliance of the Russian Empire, Great Britain and France (opponents).

However, the participating countries pursued their own goals:

1. Due to the rapidly growing economy, the German Empire required as many resources as possible and, as a result, more colonies. The Germans also had claims to redistribute the spheres of influence in the world, aimed at the formation of German hegemony.
2. The goals of Austria-Hungary were to establish control over the Balkan Peninsula. For the most part, the case was conducted for the sake of capturing Serbia and some other Slavic countries.
3. The Italian side had territorial claims to Tunisia, and also sought to consolidate its access to the Mediterranean Sea, concluding it under its absolute control.

Entente - who was part and how it was formed

After the formation of the Triple Alliance, the distribution of forces in the international arena changed dramatically and led to a clash of colonial interests between England and the German Empire.

Expansive actions in the Middle East and Africa prompted Britain to act more actively, and they began negotiations to conclude a military agreement with the Russian Empire and France.

The beginning of the definition of the Entente was laid in 1904. when France and Great Britain entered into a pact, according to which all colonial claims on the African question were transferred under its protectorate.

At the same time, obligations for military support were confirmed only between France and the Russian Empire, while England in every possible way avoided such confirmation.

The emergence of this military-political bloc made it possible to level the differences between the major powers and make them more capable of resisting the aggression of the Triple Alliance.

Accession of Russia to the Entente

The events that marked the beginning of the pulling of the Russian Empire into the Entente bloc took place in 1892.

It was then that a powerful military agreement was concluded with France, according to which, in case of any aggression, the ally country would withdraw all available armed forces for mutual assistance.

At the same time, by 1906, tensions were growing in relations between Russia and Japan, caused by the negotiations on the Portsmouth Treaty. This could provoke the loss of some Far Eastern territories by Russia.

Realizing these facts, Foreign Minister Izvolsky headed for rapprochement with Great Britain. This was an auspicious move in history, since England and Japan were allies, and the agreement could settle mutual claims.

The success of Russian diplomacy was the signing of the Russian-Japanese agreement in 1907, according to which all territorial issues were settled. This greatly influenced the acceleration of negotiations with England - the date of August 31, 1907 marked the conclusion of the Russian-English agreement.

This fact was final, after which Russia finally joined the Entente.

The final design of the Entente

The final events that completed the formation of the Entente bloc were the signing of mutual agreements between Britain and France on the settlement of colonial issues in Africa.

This included the following documents:

1. The division of the territories of Egypt and Morocco was carried out.
2. The borders of England and France in Africa were clearly divided. Newfoundland completely ceded to Britain, France received part of the new territories in Africa.
3. Settlement of the Madagascar question.

These documents formed a bloc of alliances between the Russian Empire, Great Britain and France.

The plans of the Entente in the First World War

The main goal of the Entente on the eve of the First World War (1915) was to suppress the military superiority of Germany, which was planned to be carried out from several sides. This is, first of all, a war on two fronts with Russia and France, as well as a complete naval blockade by England.

At the same time, the members of the agreement had a personal interest in:

1. England had claims to the rapidly and steadily growing economy of Germany, the rate of production of which had an overwhelming effect on the British economy. In addition, Britain saw in German Empire a military threat to its sovereignty.
2. France sought to regain the territories of Alsace and Lorraine, lost during the Franco-Prussian clash. These lands were also important to the economy due to the large amount of resources.
3. Tsarist Russia pursued as its goals the spread of influence over the important economic zone of the Mediterranean and the settlement of territorial claims to a number of Polish lands and territories in the Balkans.

The results of the confrontation between the Entente and the Triple Alliance

The result of the confrontation following the First World War was the complete defeat of the Triple Alliance- Italy was lost, and the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empire that were part of the union disintegrated. The system was destroyed in Germany, where the republic reigned.

For the Russian Empire, participation in the Entente and the First World War ended in civil clashes and revolution, which led to the collapse of the empire.

The Entente (from French Entente, Entente cordiale - heartfelt agreement) is an alliance of Great Britain, France and Russia (Triple Agreement), formed in 1904-1907 and united more than 20 states during the First World War (1914-1918) against the coalition of the Central Powers , including the USA, Japan, Italy.

The creation of the Entente was preceded by the conclusion of the Russian-French alliance in 1891-1893 in response to the creation of the Triple Alliance (1882), led by Germany.

The formation of the Entente is associated with the demarcation of the great powers in late XIX- the beginning of the 20th century, caused by the new balance of power in the international arena and the aggravation of contradictions between Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy on the one hand, France, Great Britain and Russia, on the other.
The sharp aggravation of the Anglo-German rivalry caused by the colonial and commercial expansion of Germany in Africa, the Middle East and other regions, the naval arms race, prompted Great Britain to seek an alliance with France and then with Russia.

In 1904, a British-French agreement was signed, followed by a Russian-British agreement (1907). These treaties actually formalized the creation of the Entente.

Russia and France were allies bound by mutual military obligations defined by the military convention of 1892 and subsequent decisions of the general staffs of both states. British government despite contacts between British and French general staffs and the naval command, established in 1906 and 1912, did not assume certain military obligations. The formation of the Entente softened the differences between its members, but did not eliminate them. These disagreements were revealed more than once, which Germany used to try to tear Russia away from the Entente. However, Germany's strategic calculations and aggressive plans doomed these attempts to failure.

In turn, the Entente countries, preparing for war with Germany, took steps to separate Italy and Austria-Hungary from the Triple Alliance. Although until the outbreak of the First World War, Italy formally remained part of the Triple Alliance, the ties of the Entente countries with it grew stronger, and in May 1915 Italy went over to the side of the Entente.

After the outbreak of the First World War, in September 1914 in London, an agreement was signed between Great Britain, France and Russia not to conclude a separate peace, replacing the allied military treaty. In October 1915, Japan joined this agreement, which in August 1914 declared war on Germany.

In the course of the war, new states gradually joined the Entente. By the end of the war, the states of the anti-German coalition (not counting Russia, which came out after October revolution 1917 from the war) included Great Britain, France, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras, Greece, Italy, China, Cuba, Liberia, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Romania, San Domingo, San Marino, Serbia, Siam, USA, Uruguay, Montenegro, Hijaz, Ecuador, Japan.

The main members of the Entente - Great Britain, France and Russia, from the first days of the war, entered into secret negotiations on the goals of the war. The British-French-Russian agreement (1915) provided for the transfer of the Black Sea straits to Russia, the London Treaty (1915) between the Entente and Italy determined the territorial acquisitions of Italy at the expense of Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Albania. Sykes-Picot Treaty (1916) divided Turkey's Asian possessions between Great Britain, France and Russia.

During the first three years of the war, Russia pulled off significant enemy forces, quickly coming to the aid of the Allies as soon as Germany launched serious offensives in the West.

After the October Revolution of 1917, Russia's withdrawal from the war did not disrupt the victory of the Entente over the German bloc, for Russia fully fulfilled its allied obligations, unlike England and France, which more than once thwarted their promises of assistance. Russia made it possible for England and France to mobilize all their resources. The struggle of the Russian army allowed the United States to expand its production power, create an army and replace Russia that had emerged from the war - the United States officially declared war on Germany in April 1917.

After the October Revolution of 1917, the Entente organized an armed intervention against Soviet Russia - on December 23, 1917, Great Britain and France signed a corresponding agreement. In March 1918, the Entente's intervention began, but the campaigns against Soviet Russia ended in failure. The goals that the Entente set for themselves were achieved after the defeat of Germany in the First World War, but the strategic alliance between the leading Entente countries, Great Britain and France, remained in the following decades.

General political and military leadership of the bloc's activities in different periods carried out by: Inter-Allied Conferences (1915, 1916, 1917, 1918), the Supreme Council of the Entente, the Inter-Union (Executive) Military Committee, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces, the main headquarters Supreme Commander-in-Chief, commanders-in-chief and headquarters in individual theaters of military operations. Such forms of cooperation were used as bilateral and multilateral meetings and consultations, contacts between commanders-in-chief and general staffs through representatives of the allied armies and military missions. However, the difference in military-political interests and goals, military doctrines, incorrect assessment of the forces and means of the opposing coalitions, their military capabilities, the remoteness of the theaters of operations, the approach to war as a short-term campaign did not allow the creation of a unified and permanent military-political leadership of the coalition in the war.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

The Entente and the Triple Alliance are military-political associations, each of which pursued its own interests, they were opposing forces during the First World War.

The Entente is a political union of three friendly states - Russia, England and France, created in 1895.

Unlike the Triple Alliance, which was a military bloc even before the Entente, it became a full-fledged military association only when gun shots rang out over Europe in 1914. It was in this year that England, France and Russia signed an agreement under which they committed themselves not to conclude with their opponents.

The Triple Alliance arose from Austria-Hungary in 1879. A little later, namely in 1882, Italy joined them, completing the formation of this military-political bloc. He played a significant role in creating the situations that led to the outbreak of the First World War. In accordance with the clauses of the treaty signed for a five-year term, the countries participating in this agreement pledged not to participate in actions directed against one of them, to provide all kinds of support in relation to each other. According to their agreement, all three parties were to serve as so-called "insurers". In the event of an attack on Italy, Germany and Austria-Hungary became its reliable defense. In the case of Germany - its supporters, Italy and Austria-Hungary, who were the trump card in the event of participation in the hostilities of Russia.

The triple alliance was concluded on a secret basis and with minor reservations from Italy. Since she did not want to enter into conflict relations with Great Britain, she warned her allies not to count on her support in the event of an attack on any of them by Great Britain.

The creation of the Triple Alliance was the impetus for the formation of a counterbalance in the person of the Entente, which included France, Russia and Great Britain. It was this confrontation that led to the outbreak of the First World War.

The Triple Alliance existed until 1915, since Italy had already participated in hostilities on the side of the Entente. This redistribution of forces was preceded by the neutrality of this country in relations between Germany and France, with which the "native" was not profitable to spoil relations.

The triple alliance was eventually replaced by a quarter alliance in which Italy was replaced Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria.

The Entente and the Triple Alliance were extremely interested in the territory of the Balkan Peninsula, the Middle and Germany wanted to seize part of France and its colony; Austria-Hungary needed control over the Balkans; England pursued the goal of weakening Germany's position, consolidating a world market monopoly, and preserving maritime power; France dreamed of returning the territories of Alsace and Lorraine taken during the Franco-Prussian war; Russia wanted to take root in the Balkans, to seize the western

The largest number of controversies was associated with the Balkan Peninsula. Both the first and second blocs wanted to strengthen their positions in this region. The struggle began with peaceful diplomatic methods, accompanied by parallel training and strengthening of the military forces of the countries. Germany and Austria-Hungary actively took up the modernization of the troops. Russia was the least prepared.

The event that served and prompted the outbreak of hostilities was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Serbia by a student.He shot not only Ferdinand, but also his wife with a shot into a driving car. On July 15, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia ...

The design of the opposing blocks took place over a number of years. Their configuration changed under the influence of the dynamics of foreign policy contradictions.

Triple Alliance- the military-political unification of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy - was created back in 1882. However, distinct forms of bloc confrontation emerged in the course of local armed conflicts at the turn of the century. These were the first wars for the redistribution of territories: the Spanish-American War (1898), the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). The Moroccan crises, the Balkan wars, and national liberation revolutions in a number of colonial and semi-colonial countries exerted no less active influence on the formation of the system of block confrontation.

At the time Britain and France signed the Entente Cordiale, Russia was at war with Japan. Before the signing of the treaty with France, England had already entered into a military-political alliance with Japan, directed against Russia, thus, the Anglo-French alliance was directed mainly against Germany. Under these conditions, Germany tried to take advantage of the Russo-Japanese War to weaken the political and economic positions of Russia, but at the same time took into account the danger of the emerging alliance between England and France, persuading Russia to an alliance. This was evidenced by the meeting between the Kaiser of Germany Wilhelm II and the Russian Emperor Nicholas II in the summer of 1905.

The further exacerbation of the contradictions between Germany, France and England was served by First Moroccan Crisis 1905-1906 At the Algeciras (Spain) conference on the problem of Morocco, France received firm support not only from England, but also from Russia, which was a step towards Russia's entry into the Entente. A member of the Triple Alliance - Italy - also supported France, recognizing its claims to Morocco, thereby moving away from Germany and Austria-Hungary.

One year after graduation Russo-Japanese War England, given the imbalance of power in the East and the growing hostility from Germany, signed an agreement with Russia, which defined the spheres of influence of the two countries in Iran, Afghanistan, Northeast China and Tibet.

The agreement between England and Russia finalized the bloc Entente.

Steadily growing power navy Germany led to an increase in its confrontation with the first sea power in the world - England.

The main epicenter of controversy on the eve of the First World War were Balkans, where the interests of not only the great lands of the Javas collided, but also of the small peoples inhabiting this

region. Traditionally oriented towards Russia, Bulgaria and Serbia in 1912 concluded an alliance agreement with a number of secret annexes that provided, in the event of a violation of their sovereignty, a joint armed action, as well as attempts to partition Macedonia. This treaty was directed primarily against Austria-Hungary and Turkey. It was soon joined by Greece and Montenegro, forming a broad coalition that went down in history as Balkan Union.

In the fall of 1912 began First Balkan War created a military-political alliance with Turkey. The reason for the war was the anti-Turkish uprising in Albania and Macedonia and Turkey's refusal to grant autonomy to Macedonia. Intervention in the conflict of the great powers (Austria-Hungary, Russia and