Germany having allied herself with Austria, looked about for another
nation to give greater strength to the combination. Her thoughts turned
toward Italy, which, in case of another war against France, could attack
the French southeastern border and so prove a valuable ally. For a
number of years there had been ill feeling between Italy and France, and
Germany counted on this feeling to bring Italy under her influence. The
chief difficulty in the way of Germany's plan was that Italy would have
to abandon her ideas in regard to Italia Irredenta and enter into
friendly relations with Austria, her old enemy. Italy was finally driven
into this unnatural alliance by the action of France, which in 1881
occupied Tunis, a land which Italy herself had been planning to annex as
a colony. Italy, too weak to prevent this action of France, entered the
alliance with Germany and Austria into which she had been invited. So it
was that the Triple Alliance was established (1882), as a league of
defense against any nations which should begin an attack upon any one of
the three.

THE TRIPLE ENTENTE.--_Entente_ (ahn-tahnt´) is the French word for
understanding or agreement. In the recent history of Europe it refers to
that friendly grouping of nations which was formed in self-defense
against the Triple Alliance. The war of 1870 had left France not only
humiliated but weakened and isolated. The formation of the Triple
Alliance put out of question the idea of a successful war against
Germany to right the wrong which France had suffered. In fact it seemed
to make more probable a new attack upon France. Russia also found
herself in a position of isolation. Their isolation and consequent
danger gradually drew these two nations together, distant as they were
from one another and different as they were in government and ideas. So
there was established a dual alliance between the French Republic and
the Russian Empire.