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Franco-Prussian War
The war between France and Prussia (the future German Empire) that lasted from 1870 to 1871 ended with a humiliating defeat for France. -
Accession of Wilhelm II to the German Throne
With the accession of Wilhelm II to the German throne in 1888, the German foreign policy became more bellicose. -
Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese rivalry over Manchuria and Korea reached its height with the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). -
Moroccan Crises
The Moroccan Crises - the Tangler Crisis (1905-1906) and Agadir Crisis (1911) - brought the European powers on the brink of war. Both crises were provoked by the Germans with an aim to cause tensions between France and Britain that just concluded an alliance. -
Entente Cordiale
In order to create a counterweight to the German Empire, the British decided to enter into an alliance with France that came to be known as Entente Cordiale. In 1907, Britain also entered into an alliance with Russia that was already in alliance with France. -
Bosnian Annexation Crisis
In 1908, Austria-Hungary decided to annex Bosnia and Herzegovina that was formally an integral part of the Ottoman Empire. -
Italo-Turkish War
The Italo-Turkish War that took place between 1911 and 1912 did not pose any major threat to peace in Europe. -
Balkan Wars
In 1912, Serbia, Greece, Montenegro and Bulgaria formed the Balkan League, a military alliance against the Ottoman Empire. -
World War I Began
WWI Began on 1914 through 1918. -
July Ultimatum
On July 23, Austria-Hungary presented an ultimatum to Serbia. Vienna, however, intentionally imposed impossible demands to Serbia in order to be able to declare war on its neighbor for ‘orchestrating’ the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. A few days later, the Austro-Hungarian troops invaded Serbia and started the devastating World War I.