Reinsurance Treaty
The Great Powers, which were in a constant fear of war between them, continued with a series of complicated agreements and alliances, many of which were secret, as deterrents to one another's actions, largely at the behest of Bismarck. These included the Triple Alliance, which replaced the Dual Alliance in 1882 by including Italy; two Mediterranean Agreements ("Mittelmeerentente") in 1887 and the Reinsurance Treaty (1887). Finally, the publication of the terms of the 1879 treaty persuaded Russia that further action was not in its interests and so it withdrew from involvement in Bulgaria, and the fear of war dissipated. Bismarck's strategy was arcane but largely successful in averting war during his time in office (1871–1890). Unfortunately, his arrangements were heavily dependent on himself and so failed to provide long-term solutions.