as Germany and Austria- Hungary an enhanced level of economic and strategic mobil-
ity equal to that of maritime powers such as Britain. This change reduced Britain’s ability
to balance power on the continent. Rus sia, for its part, began to fall markedly behind
in the industrialization race, and its relatively few railroads meant that its massive
manpower advantage would be less and less able to reach a battlefield in time to deter-
mine an outcome. So Rus sia’s power began to wane compared with that of France,
Germany, and Austria- Hungary.the breakdown: solidification of alliances
By the waning years of the nineteenth century, the balance- of- power system had weak-
ened. Whereas alliances previously had been flexible and fluid, now alliances became
increasingly rigid. Two camps emerged: the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria- Hungary,
and Italy) in 1882 and the Dual Alliance (France and Rus sia) in 1893. In 1902, Britain
broke from the “balancer” role, joining in a naval alliance with Japan to forestall Rus sian
and Japa nese collaboration in China. This alliance marked a significant turn: for the
first time, a Eu ro pean state ( Great Britain) turned to an Asian one (Japan) to thwart a
Eu ro pean power (Rus sia). And, in 1904, Britain joined with France in an alliance called
the Entente Cordiale.
In that same year, Rus sia and Japan went to war (the Russo- Japanese War) in a con-
test Eu ro pe ans widely expected to result in a Japa nese defeat. After all, the Japa nese
had come late to industrialization, and although Japan’s naval forces looked impres-
sive on paper, their opponents would be white Eu ro pe ans. But Rus sia’s industrial back-Key Developments in
nineteenth- Century eu rope■ From revolutions emerge two
concepts: the idea that legitimate
rule requires (some) consent of the
governed, and nationalism.
■ A system managed by the balance
of power brings relative peace to
Eu rope. Elites are united in fear of
the masses, and domestic concerns
are more impor tant than foreign
policy.■ Eu ro pean imperialism in Asia and
Africa helps to maintain the
Eu ro pean balance of power.
■ The balance of power breaks down
due to imperial Germany’s too- rapid
growth and the increasing rigidity of
alliances, resulting in World War I.i n FoCus
36 CHAPTER TWo ■ h istoriCal Context oF international relationsESSIR7_CH02_020_069_11P.indd 36 6/14/16 10:02 AM