Dual Alliance ( 1879 ) - wikipedia Dual Alliance ( 1879 ) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( June 2009 ) The Dual Alliance in 1914, Germany in blue and Austria - Hungary in red The Dual Alliance was a defensive alliance between Germany and Austria - Hungary, which was created by treaty on 7 October 1879 as part of Bismarck 's system of alliances to prevent or limit war. The two powers promised each other support in case of attack by Russia. Also, each state promised benevolent neutrality to the other if one of them was attacked by another European power ( generally taken to be France, even more so after the Franco - Russian Alliance of 1894 ). Germany 's Otto von Bismarck saw the alliance as a way to prevent the isolation of Germany and to preserve peace, as Russia would not wage war against both empires. When Austria - Hungary and Germany formed an alliance in 1879, it was one of the more surprising alliances of its time. Though both realms shared the German language and a similar culture, Austria - Hungary and Germany were often driven apart, most notably in the recent Austro - Prussian War. Additionally, the Habsburg rulers of Austria believed that the promotion of nationalism, which was favored by Germany, would destroy their empire. However, their common dislike for Russia brought the two nations together for a common cause. After the formation of the German Empire in 1871, German chancellor Otto von Bismarck wanted to portray his nation as a peacemaker and preserver of the European status quo, as well as gain more power for the German Empire and unify Germany. In 1878, Russia defeated the Ottoman Empire in the Russo - Turkish War ; the resulting Treaty of San Stefano gave Russia considerable influence in the Balkans. This development outraged Austria - Hungary, who was Russia 's chief competitor for influence in the Balkan region ( despite being an ally of the Russians and the Germans in the League of the Three Emperors ). Hence, in 1878, Bismarck called an international conference ( the Congress of Berlin ) in order to sort out the problem. The Treaty of Berlin that resulted from the conference reversed Russia 's gains from the Treaty of San Stefano and provided the Austrians with compensation in the form of Bosnia. Despite Bismarck 's attempts to play the role of an `` honest broker '' at the Congress of Berlin, Russo - German relations deteriorated following the conference. The Three Emperors ' League was discontinued, and Germany and Austria - Hungary were free to ally with one another against Russia. In 1881, Italy lost in the competition with France to establish a colony in Tunis ( present - day Tunisia ). To enlist diplomatic support, Italy joined Germany and Austria - Hungary to form the Triple Alliance in 1882, which was the first formal war - camp in Europe, the second being the Triple Entente formed in 1907. During World War I, however, Italy did not go to war immediately with her allies but stayed neutral. In 1915, she joined the Entente powers and declared war on Austria - Hungary, and later Germany in the subsequent year. The Dual Alliance persisted throughout the war and ended with their defeats in 1918. References Jump up ^ Martel, Gordon. The Origins of the First World War. Third edition, 2003, p. 21. Jump up ^ `` Austro - German Alliance ''. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 10 Feb. 2016 < http://www.britannica.com/event/Austro-German-Alliance >. External links Translated text of the Dual Alliance Diplomacy of the Great Powers 1871 -- 1913 Great powers Austria -- Hungary France Germany Italy Japan Russia United Kingdom United States Alliances Triple Alliance Dual Alliance Triple Entente Franco - Russian Alliance Entente Cordiale Anglo - Russian Entente Anglo - Japanese Alliance Trends Ottoman Decline Eastern Question Revanchism New Imperialism Scramble for Africa Pan-Slavism The Great Game The Great Rapprochement Treaties and agreements Treaty of Frankfurt League of the Three Emperors Treaty of Berlin Reinsurance Treaty Treaty of Paris Treaty of Björkö Taft -- Katsura Agreement Japan -- Korea Treaty of 1905 Japan -- Korea Annexation Treaty Racconigi agreement Events Congress of Berlin Berlin Conference Weltpolitik German Naval Laws Anglo - German naval arms race Dreadnought Fashoda Incident Annexation of Hawaii First Moroccan Crisis Algeciras Conference Agadir Crisis Bosnian crisis Wars Russo - Turkish First Sino - Japanese Spanish -- American Banana Wars Philippine -- American Boxer Rebellion Second Boer Russo - Japanese Italo - Turkish Balkan Wars Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dual_Alliance_(1879)&oldid=810826238 '' Categories : 1879 in Austria - Hungary Military alliances involving Austria - Hungary 19th - century military alliances 1879 treaties Military alliances involving the German Empire 1879 in Germany Austria -- Germany relations Austria - Hungary -- Germany relations Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from June 2009 All articles needing additional references Talk About Wikipedia Azərbaycanca Беларуская Български Deutsch Español Esperanto Français 한국어 Հայերեն Italiano עברית Қазақша Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Русский Simple English Slovenščina Српски / srpski Suomi ไทย Türkçe Українська 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 17 November 2017, at 18 : 01. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who did germany have an alliance with in ww1
Answer: Austria-Hungary