The Bismarckian Order
Treaty of Frankfurt – Alsace-Lorraine taken by Prussia
People have choice to be either French or German
1871 – end of Franco-Prussian war establishing frontiers William I = German Emperor
Austro-Hungarian chief of staff, arguing against a resort to war in the eastern
crisis of 1878, the wars of 1866 and 1871 had shown that ‘long wars
cannot be sustained by a modern civilised state using universal conscription
The days of cabinet wars are over. . . . We have only the Volkskrieg,
and no rational government can easily decide to start such a war with
all its unforeseen consequences. . . . The existence of the Empire would
be at stake, perhaps even the continued existence of the social order
and civilisation.
Three Emperors’ League 1873–78 RAG – by Bismarck resurrecting Holy Alliance of
1815
Tsar Alexander II Franz Joseph I Kaiser Wilhelm I – maintain BOP
German
Keep aus and rus on same side
Balkans – AUS fear RUS supporting Serbia
AUS GER defensive alliance Italy join 1882 – Triple Alliance
Three Emperors’ Alliance 1881–87
Conflict AUS RUS in Balkans
Germany’s exposed position in the centre of the continent would be alleviated if
Russia, Austria-Hungary and Great Britain could be encouraged to busy
themselves at the periphery of the continent in the Near East – as he himself
came ruefully to realize towards the end of his life when he remarked to a
friend: ‘I shall not live to see the great war, but you will, and it will start
in the Near East.’
1. Identify and give the significance of each of the following terms:
The Three Emperors League
The Three Emperor’s Alliance
Andrássy
- Hungary – three emperors league
Pro otto
Anti rus
Bismarck – emperors alliance
Treaty of Berlin 1878 – revolt vs ottomans after eastern crisis
Russia wanted to unite Slavic countries Revised San Stefano 206
Recognize independence of the de facto (Romania, Serbia and
Montenegro
Former created a huge Bulgaria B and A fear
Otto leads Bulgaria, rumelia and Macedonia, undoing RUS plans for
big Bulgaria
Reinsurance Treaty JUN 1887 Bismarck and RUS in Berlin
Help R to control straits between Med and Black Sea
Secret to prevent R and F alliance
Lombardverbot - NOV 1887 forbidding german banks to accept
Russian securities as loans
German excluding Russian bonds..german market closed
RUS turns to FRA
Farmers big land owners (berlin) have economics comp vs rus for
grain
2. Why did the other European powers accept German Unification?
3. Account for the stability in the European state system between
1870 and 1890.
4. Describe the political changes in the Balkans between 1870 an
1890.
5. What role did imperialism play in the relationships between the
European powers 1870-1890?
6. What was the Bismarckian order? chill