The Kings Unit 5

24th October, 1873

Foreign policy

The great emperors are joined

The last saturday, 22nd of October, the leaders of the three most powerfull countries in Europe: Wilhelm I of  the German Empire, Tsar Alexander II with the Russian Empire and Franz Joseph of the Austria-Hungarian Empire; agreed to cooperate between them and against France and the governments of liberal ideas.

Otto von Bismark

The idea of this agreement come of Germany and particularly of the German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck due to his plan to keep France isolated and away from any diplomatic alliance, and to keep Austria-Hungary and Russia as potential allies of the German Empire. With this plan Bismarck avoided that, after the defeat of 1870 in the Franco-Prussian War of the Third French Republic, France could obtaine some external support if it tried a warlike conflict with Germany to recover the regions of Alsace and Lorraine.

Wilhelm I, Franz Joseph and Tsar Alexander II 

Germany first began with the negotations
with Austria and then Russia, that fears the strength of this new alliance, considered that was best to join it. The saturday, the "League of the Three Emperors" was
formed, which unites Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia and that presents a strong opposition against France, and also against socialism. Althought the agreement was successfully carried out, the rest of Europe suspect that it can't last for a long time  because, both, Russia and Austria want the control of the Balkans.

The agreemnet between the three leaders guarantees the neutrality of their countries in case of conflict with another nation. They want to consolidate the general peace through an understanding and to assure the defensive position of their respective States, they have reached an agreement on certain issues that affect their reciprocal interests.

We hope that the agreement come only with good news for the rest of Europe and no more conflicts.