Bismarck now set out to strengthen Germany by making alliances with other European states.  He first made up with his old enemy, Austria.  Thanks to the liberal treatment that he had given this country after her disastrous war of 1866, he was able to get the Austrians to join Germany in an alliance which states that if two countries of Europe should ever attack one of the two allies, the other would rush to her help.

The Italians were friendly to Germany, for they remembered that they had gotten Venetia from Austria through the help of the Prussians, but they had always looked upon the Austrians as their worst enemies.  It was a wonderful thing, then, when Bismarck finally induced Italy to join with Austria and Germany in a “Dreibund” or “Triple Alliance.”

The Italian people had been very friendly to the French, and this going over to their enemies would never have been possible but for an act of France which greatly angered Italy.  For many years, France had been in control of Algeria on the north coast of Africa.  This country had once been a nest of pirates, and the French had gone there originally to clean them out.  Next to Algeria on the east is the county of Tunis, which, as you will see by the map, is very close to Sicily and Italy.  The Italians had been looking longingly at this district for some time, intending to organize an expedition and forcibly annex it to their kingdom.  They waited too long, however, and one fine day in 1881 they found the prize gone,—­France had seized this county for herself.  It was Italy’s anger over this act of France more than anything else that enabled Bismarck to get her into an alliance with Germany and her ancient enemy, Austria.

France now saw herself hemmed in on the east by a chain of enemies.  It looked as though Bismarck might declare war upon the republic at any time, and be perfectly safe from interference, with Austria and Italy to protect him.  Russia, smarting under the treatment which she had been given by the Congress of Berlin, was full of resentment against Germany.  Both the French and the Russians felt themselves threatened by Bismarck’s Dreibund, and so, in self-defense each country made advance toward the other.  The result was the “Dual Alliance” between France and Russia, which bound either country to come to the aid of the other in case of an attack by two powers at once.

In this way, the balance of power, disturbed by Bismarck’s “Dreibund,” was again restored.  Many people thought the forming of the two alliances a fine thing, “for,” said they, “each party is now too strong to be attacked by the other.  Therefore, we shall never again have war among the great powers.”

England was not tied up with either alliance.  On account of her position on an island, and because of her strong navy, she did not feel obliged to keep a large standing army such as the great powers on the continent maintained.