316 



DISCOVERY 



The second was signed bv Austria and Italy alone : 

 it concerned the Balkans, and stipulated that, if 

 either Austria or Italy should find itself compelled 

 to modify the status quo in the Orient, either by a 

 temporary or permanent occupation of part of it, 

 this should only take place after a previous agree- 

 ment between the two Powers based on the principle 

 of a reciprocal compensation. A third treaty between 

 Germany and Italy engaged the former to aid Italy 

 if this Power should find it necessary to take action 

 against France in the Vilaj-et of Tripoli, in the Moroc- 

 can Empire, or even " in French territory in Europe." 

 And if, at the termination of such a war, Italy should 

 " seek for territorial guarantees with respect to 

 France " (i.e. if Italy should wish to annex a part 

 of Savoy or Nice) , Germany would present no obstacle. 



Thus it will be seen that Italy at the renewal of the 

 Triple Alliance considerably increased her advantages : 

 she got an Austrian guarantee to share in any parti- 

 tions in the Balkans, Adriatic, and ^gean, and a 

 German guarantee of support to any territorial aims 

 at the expense of France either in Europe or Africa. 

 In return she gave promise of support to Germany 

 in a French war, but only if the war was one of 

 " aggression, without direct provocation, of France 

 against Germany." To Austria, Italy promised military 

 support only in the event of an attack by two Powers. 



On October 30, 1883, Rumania had joined the 

 Triple Alliance by a dual treaty with Austria, accord- 

 ing to which the two Powers agreed to assist each other, 

 if either was subjected to an unprovoked attack 

 by a third Power. By a separate treaty of the same 

 date Germany undertook the same obligations. Italy 

 did not accede till May 15, 1888, and even then only 

 so far as to undertake "to take counsel" with 

 Austria and Rumania in the event of the casus 

 fcederis taking place. The engagements of the three 

 Powers with regard to Rumania were renewed in 

 identical terms in 1892, in 1902, and in 1913. This 

 last renewal was for a term of seven years. 



The third Treaty of Triple Alliance was concluded 

 on May 6, 1891, at Berlin. For this occasion the 

 three treaties of 1887 were fused into one tri-partite 

 instrument. The terms remained practically un- 

 changed ; the three Powers, though in the same 

 treaty, undertook different obligations to each othei. 

 Article IX stipulated that, if Italy found it necessary 

 to take measures to change the status quo in North 

 Africa (Cyrenaica, Tripolitana, and Tunisia) with the 

 support of Germany, " the two Powers would seek 

 to place themselves likewise in agreement with 

 England." Great Britain had already (on December 

 12, 1887) given her adhesion to " nine points " of 

 the Austrian and Italian Governments relative to the 

 maintenance of the status quo in the East (i.e. the 



Balkan regime). \\Tien the Triple Alliance was 

 renewed in 1891 a protocol was attached to the 

 treaty stating that the High Contracting Parties 

 would exert themselves to obtain a similar accession 

 of England to the treaty's stipulations concerning 

 the North African territories. But Great Britain 

 gave no such adhesion. Nevertheless she had come 

 fairly near to the Triple Alliance, especially at the 

 time of the Heligoland-Zambezi agreement of 1890. 

 In 1891 she had the chance of definitely coming 

 within the Triplice orbit, but took no action. 



From this time the Triple Alliance became of less 

 and less importance ; and although renewed by a 

 tripartite treaty on June 28, 1902, and by another 

 tripartite treaty on December 5, 1912 (both times with 

 the provisions unchanged), it was of little effect. 

 The reason was that Italy's position in Europe was 

 no longer consistent with the Triplice. She had got 

 over her trouble with France, probably owing to some 

 understanding which has never come to light, that 

 France would not object to her annexing Tripoli. 

 She had gi\-en up any idea of recovering Nice and 

 Savoy, but on the other hand her longing to unite 

 with her nationals who were under Austrian sway 

 was stronger than ever. Moreover, the Italian and 

 Austrian Governments found almost endless cause of 

 friction in their respective handling of the Balkan 

 clauses of the Treaty of Triple Alliance. On the 

 side of Germany, too, the situation of the Triplice 

 was no happier. Italy had always been very careful 

 to insert saving clauses in protocols with regard to 

 England : and in 1896 she had gone so far as to 

 notify Germany and Austria that she could not take 

 part in a war against England and France jointly. 

 Although the Central Powers refused to take note of 

 this declaration, they must have understood that all 

 subsequent renewals of the Triple Alliance were sub- 

 ject to this condition. Thus the Triplice became of 

 no military importance ; it was useful as constituting 

 a friendly group of States, with most favoured clauses 

 as regards commerce ; but in military affairs it no 

 longer counted. Everything turned upon the old 

 Austro-German Dual Alliance. 



AUTHORITIES 

 Owing to the secrecy which was maintained over the Triple 

 Alhance till 1919, all the standard works are in this respect 

 almost purely speculative. The full texts will be found in 

 Pribram : The Secret Treaties of A ustria-Hungary, vol. i, 

 with translations by D. P. Myers and J. G. D. A. Paul (Harvard 

 University Press, 1920). There is a good short introduction 

 to the texts. Some of the later documents were also printed 

 from the archives of the German Foreign Office by Kautsky, 

 in Die deutschen Dokumente ~iim Kriegsausbnich (Charlotten- 

 burg, 1919), band iv. The memoirs of the Baron von Eck- 

 hardstein fi92i) also give some facts about the efforts of 

 the German Government to obtain the alliance of England 

 just after the conclusion of the Austro-German Dual Alliance. 



