The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-09-04
Germany and Russia Were
 Allies Only 43 Years Ago

Although the Germans now identify Russia with "Unkultur" and speak of Russian ''barbarism'' and the Musco- vite peril the strong race antipathy of German and Slav is of cOmpara- lively recent origin. Bismarck held to the last that Germany and Russia were natural allies, and he worked unceasingly to effect an alliance be- tween the two empires. For a time the Iron Chancellor was successful, and the league of the Three Emper- ors, or the Dreikaiserbund," was the result.
 The Dreikaiserbund had it's origin forty-three years today at the imperial congress held in Berlin. Czar Alex ander H., Francis Joseph of Austria and William I. engaged in a friend ly understanding, and, although Bis marck, declared the meeting to be an act of friendship, the effect was an alliance between the three great powers.
 All of the remainder of Europe viewed with considerable alarm this powerful combination. The empire of Germany, built on the ruins of Ma poleons French empire, had demon strated in the wars with Austria and France that she possessed a military machine terrible in it's efficiency. Francis Joseph had felt the weight of Prussian wrath, and desired noth-
 
 ship of his former enemy. The Rus sian Czar was @ personal friend of Emperor William l., and had no desire to pit the strength of his army against the armed colossus which lowered over Europe. France, Holland, Bel gium, Italy and the other smaller states treInb1ed before the power of the young giant of central Europe.
 The Dreikaiserbund did not last long. The first break in the friendly relations between the S1av and Teu- ton powers came in 1875, when Bis marck was planning another war by which he would finally and for all time crush the power of France By exacHng an unprecedented indemnity from France, the German statesman believed that he had crippled that country for many years to come. Un- der the republic, however, France soon regained what she had lost, and again became a power to be reckon ed with.
 Early in 1875 Bismarck sent a .se- cret commission to St. Petersburg to sound the Czar on the question of an other Franco-German war. All that Germany asked of Russia was that she promise to remain neutral in the event that Germany set about the comp1e- ton of the task of the destruction of France The Russian government fearful that the complete crushing of France would make Germany su- preme and destroy the balance of power in Europe, returned an evasive answer.
 The attitude of Russia saved France, then just struggling upward from the ruin into which she had been plunged by the ambitions of Napo- leon III, and a war which must have been disastrous for the infant republic was happily averted. Throughout the greater part of 1875 the German press and people con- against France, for the stamping out of republican principles in Europe. At last the British and Russian govern nents joined in an appeal to the Ger l man government, and by persuasion, l induced both the German Emperor I and Chancellor to publicly announce 1 that Germany had no intention of at- tacking France
 This incident brought about a per | tod of strained relations between Ger many and Russia, but the League of the Three Emperors remained at least non1ina11y in effect until 1877, when l Russia went to the aid of the Bull i garians against the Turks. The Drei- keiserbund was then definitely broken | up, and Bismarck turned his atten- ! ton to effecting alliance with 1 Italy. He had hoped to bring in Italy as a, lesser part of the Dreikaiserbund, and, when Russian withdrew from the 1 alliance, the Chancellor wooed Italy more fervent1y than before As a re suit, the passing of the Dreikaiser- bund marked the beginning of the l Triple Alliance, which continued in l effect until the beginning of the pres ent war, when Italy withdrew.