page_title: Otto von Bismarck
section_title: Triple Alliance
hierarchical_section_title: Otto von Bismarck / Chancellor of the German Empire / Foreign policies / Triple Alliance
caption_attribution_description: English: Cartoon of the Berlin newspaper "Lustige Blätter." In the Triple Alliance Germany drags the Austrian boy while the Italian child throws a tantrum to stay with the French cockerel. Italiano: Vignetta del giornale berlinese "Lustige Blätter". Nella Triplice alleanza la Germania trascina il ragazzo austriaco mentre il bimbo italiano fa i capricci per rimanere con il gallo francese.
context_page_description: Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg, known as Otto von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman who masterminded the unification of Germany in 1871 and served as its first chancellor until 1890, in which capacity he dominated European affairs for two decades. He had previously been Minister President of Prussia and Chancellor of the North German Confederation. He provoked three short, decisive wars against Denmark, Austria, and France. Following the victory against Austria, he abolished the supranational German Confederation and instead formed the North German Confederation as the first German national state, aligning the smaller North German states behind Prussia. Receiving the support of the independent South German states in the Confederation's defeat of France, he formed the German Empire and united Germany.
  With Prussian dominance accomplished by 1871, Bismarck skillfully used balance of power diplomacy to maintain Germany's position in a peaceful Europe.
context_section_description: The League of the Three Emperors having fallen apart, Bismarck negotiated the Dual Alliance with Austria-Hungary, in which each guaranteed the other against Russian attack. He also negotiated the Triple Alliance in 1882 with Austria-Hungary and Italy, and Italy and Austria-Hungary soon reached the "Mediterranean Agreement" with Britain. Attempts to reconcile Germany and Russia did not have a lasting effect: the Three Emperors' League was re-established in 1881 but quickly fell apart, ending Russian-Austrian-Prussian solidarity, which had existed in various forms since 1813. Bismarck therefore negotiated the secret Reinsurance Treaty of 1887 with Russia, in order to prevent Franco-Russian encirclement of Germany. Both powers promised to remain neutral towards one another unless Russia attacked Austria-Hungary. However, after Bismarck's departure from office in 1890, the Treaty was not renewed, thus creating a critical problem for Germany in the event of a war.
caption: Caricature of the Triple alliance
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