Triple Alliance (1882)

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For other uses of this term, see Triple Alliance.

The Triple Alliance (German: Dreibund, Italian: Triplice Alleanza) was the treaty by which Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy pledged on 20 May 1882 to support each other militarily in the event of an attack against any of them by two or more great powers. Germany and Italy additionally undertook to support one another in the event of an attack by France. In a supplementary declaration, however, Italy specified that her undertakings could not be regarded as being directed against the United Kingdom. Shortly after renewing the Alliance in June 1902, Italy secretly extended a similar guarantee to France.

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Italy's partial adherence to the German-Austrian Dual Alliance was triggered partly from anger at France's May 1881 seizure of Tunisia, which many Italians had seen as a potential colony. But Italian public opinion remained unenthusiastic about their country's alignment with Austria-Hungary, a past enemy of Italian unification (1820-21, 1848-49, 1859, 1866), and whose Italian-majority districts in the Trentino and Istria were seen as Italia irredenta ("unredeemed Italy").

It must be noted that, years before World War I, many distinguished military analysts predicted that Italy would change sides. This prediction was strengthened by Italy's invasion and annexation of Tripoli. Moreover, Britain and France promised to give Italy southwestern Anatolia and a great part of the territories of Croatia and Slovenia (They never kept those promises).

When Germany and Austria-Hungary found themselves at war in August 1914 with the rival Triple Entente of Britain, France and, the latter's ally, Russia, Italy pledged its support to the Central Powers, but subsequently entered the conflict on the side of the Entente against Austria-Hungary in May 1915 and Germany in August 1916 (see World War I).

Italy's ideas for maintaining the balance of power in Europe clearly gravitated towards major alliances, even if they were a passive member. Italy's reasoning for not siding with the Central Powers was that the Triple Alliance was a defensive alliance, but Germany and Austria-Hungary had taken the offensive. It is also thought that Britain and Italy had an agreement about the Mediterranean. Britain needed access to the Mediterranean, so that she could access her African and Indian empires easily. Obviously, because Italy is surrounded by the Mediterranean, it cannot afford to fall out with Britain. This is thought to be another reason that Italy changed sides.