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On 22 October 1873, German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck negotiated an agreement (German: Dreikaiserabkommen) between the monarchs of Austria–Hungary, Russia and Germany. The alliance constituted one of the early coalitions of European powers that ultimately created enough tension by 1914 to fuel World War I, once ignited by a single spark in Sarajevo. The alliance between Tsar Alexander II, Emperor Franz Joseph I and Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany sought to resurrect the Holy Alliance of 1815 and act as a bulwark against radical sentiments the conservative rulers found unsettling.^[1] It was preceded by the Schönbrunn Convention signed by Russia and Austria–Hungary on 6 June 1873.

Bismarck often led the League as it assessed challenges centered on maintaining the balance of power among the states involved and Europe at large. This cornerstone of his political philosophy included dedication to preserving the status quo and avoiding overt war where diplomacy would suffice to manage a conflict. In its first incarnation, the League directly opposed the expansion of French power and Napoleon III’s inclination to fodder self-determination movements, thus threatening the established monarchical order in each of their countries.^[2] Despite German victory in during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and 1871, the violence remained fresh in the newly united state’s memory and made Germany reluctant to antagonize the French, but keen as ever to limit their power. According to the coalition, radical socialist bodies like the First International represented one of the other key threats to regional stability and dominance. For this reason, the League actively opposed the expansion of their influence.^[3] The League also met crisis in the East where Bulgarian unrest elicited violent reaction from the Ottoman forces there, which in turn met with horror from observing states. The account of the insurrection from an Englishman named Sir Edwin Pears both describes the atrocities in gruesome detail and reveals British surprise at their extent.

The collective initially disbanded in 1875 over territorial disputes in the Balkans as Austria-Hungary feared that Russian support for Serbia might ultimately ignite irredentist passions in its tenuously grasped Slav populations.^[4] Russian authorities likewise feared insurrection, should a Pan-Slavism movement gain too much clout^[5] The body’s first conclusion in 1879 gave way to the defensive Dual Alliance between Austria-Hungary and Germany to counter potential Russian aggression. In 1882 Italy joined this agreement to form the Triple Alliance.

The 1878 Treaty of Berlin left Russia feeling cheated of her gains made in the Russo-Turkish War. Her key role in European diplomacy was not, however, forgotten by Bismarck. A more formal, officially documented ‘’’Three Emperors’ League’’’ or League of the Three Emperors (Dreikaiserbund) that dedicated itself to the principle of benevolent neutrality reconstituted on 18 June 1881. This incarnation of the agreement provided for the Balkan disputes that eventually came to dominate the formation and dissolution of alliances, and when conflicts in that region arose the three imperial parties agreed to discuss any territorial changes before they occurred.^[6] In view of the ongoing Austro-Russian antagonism this agreement dissolved in the aftermath of the 1885 Serbo-Bulgarian War and inaugurated an age of increasingly complicated alliance systems dedicated to preserving the international status quo, the series of international negotiations and manipulations that created the necessary conditions for World War I continued in motion. To preserve common understanding with Russia, Germany signed the mutual Reinsurance Treaty in 1887.

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External links

• Richard B. Elrod, "The Concert of Europe: The Fresh Look at an International System," World Politics, 28, no. 2(1976): 159-174. JSTOR.

• Serge Goriainov, "The End of the Alliance of the Emperors," The American Historical Review, 23 no. 2 (1918): 324-329. JSTOR.

• Paul W. Schroeder, "Quantitative Studies in the Balance of Power: An Historian's Reaction," The Journal of Conflict Resolution 21, no. 1 (1977): 3-22. JSTOR.

• A. Meyendorff, "Conversations of Gorkachov with Andrassy and Bismarck in 1872," The Slavonic and East European Review 8, no. 23 (1929): 400-408. JSTOR.

• William Brian Moul, "Balances of Power and the Escalation to War of Serious Disputes among the Great Europeans, 1815-1939: Some Evidence," American Journal of Political Science 32, no. 2 (1988): 241-275. JSTOR.