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In 1890 there was the Triple Alliance which was an contract among Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy to help each other under certain circumstances. The Germans excessively had a secret Re-Insurance Treaty with Russia to ensure that they never had to fight a war on two fronts. Neither France nor Britain were members of these agreements.In 1893 the Germans refused to renew the Re-Insurance Treaty with Russia, preferring imminent links with Austria-Hungary.In 1894 Russia and France came together in an alliance backed up by financial, industrial and soldiers help. Germany now found herself surrounded by potence enemies and having to face the real possibility of fighting a war on two fronts.Faced with this threat the German General Staff began to plan for a war against both France and Russia and this eventually became the Schlieffen Plan with its emphasis on speed and the need to invade neutral Belgium.France and Germany were bitter enemies because of Frances defeat in the war of 18 70-71 and the resulting dismissal of Alsace and Lorraine to Germany. Their bitterness was worsened by the actual defeat of 1870, the Siege of Paris and the German march down the Champs Elysee.Britain was isolated in 1890. She had no allies or even friends on the continent. She had quarrelled with France over colonies in Africa and with Russia over a possible Russian threat to Persia and India.The Boer War of 1899-1902 showed how dangerous it was for Britain to have to friends on the continent. The Germans refused to sign an agreement with Britain and so Britain settled her differences with France in the Entente Cordiale of 1904This agreement was not an alliance but simply an agreement not to quarrel any more most colonies in Africa and North America but growing tension with Germany especially after two crises in Morocco in 1905 and 1911 led to a secret military agreement in 1909 and a secret military agreement in 1912. These agreements which were only known to very few senior memb ers of the government committed Britain to move an army to France (BEF) in the event of war with Germany and after 1912 the Royal Navy agreed to defend Calais and the other French Channel ports from a German attack.In 1906 the new British super battleship, HMS Dreadnought, was launched. This had more and bigger guns than any other ship in the world and it was faster and better armoured as well.