What were the main characteristic features of the first Bismarckian Alliance system 1879-1883 ?

... What were the main characteristic features of the first Bismarckian Alliance system 1879-1883 ? During the 1870's in the aftermath of the creation of the German Empire, the main issues to vex the Great Powers were Austro-Russian rivalry in the Balkans, and German fear that such a rivalry might develop into a general conflict which could provide an outlet for French revanchism against Germany. The Russo-Turkish war of 1877-78 demonstrated that Austria and Russia could restrain their rivalry in the interests of the general peace; the disputes following the Treaty of San Stefano leading up to the 1878 Congress of Berlin demonstrated that such restraint was limited. The issue of the Balkans was to remain an area of concern for the European States up to and beyond the First World War, even though there was to be no further significant conflict involving the Great Powers between 1879 and 1914. Having lost

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