WWI Alliance's
How did the alliances of the 1900's lead up to the Great War?
THe Great War's Spark
The alliances intertwined in such a way that a war between two opposing nations in opposing alliances would lead to an all out brawl in Europe. There is much evidence that points to alliances as being the main catalyst for the explosion of the war, and historians often recognize it as such. Alliance's between the countries of Europe had been shifting since the early 1700s, but alliances were simply used as a strategic tool back then, a way for a prince or a king to further his own interests or isolate rivals, alliances couldn't be expected to drag countries into war(alphahistory). This was the way alliances were used, at least until the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. With the rise of the world-aspiring dictator, Europe developed the idea of "super" alliances in order to team up and bring the conqueror down(alphahistory). Similarly to this, as tensions begun to rise in Europe, these "super" alliances were created to be used as a deterrent for the impending war. The country split into two super alliances, the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente. With the Triple Alliance hungry for expansion, mainly in the Balkans, and the Triple Entente wary of the Triple Alliance's growing strength, a conflict of interest between the two powerful alliance was evident(bbc). War was beginning to seem inevitable. While going through this website you will learn of the creation of the Triple Alliance and Triple Entente, and how they played a significant role in the outbreak of WWI.