Testing the Bonds: Franco-Russian Alliance and the First Sino-Japanese War

Abstract

The conclusion of the Franco-Russian Alliance was one of the major turning points in the history of international relations before the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. However, the alliance was put under its first severe test only months after its ratification in 1894. The Sino-Japanese War and the far-reaching Japanese conquests in Northeast Asia during this war forced the French and Russian governments to align their foreign and imperial policy towards the region. This ultimately resulted in Paris and St. Petersburg in April 1895 intervening against Japan together with France's rival Germany. This initiative, known as the Triple Intervention, caused intense tensions within Franco-Russian relations, just as the politicians in Berlin had intended. Ultimately, however, the political decision-makers in Wilhelmstraße achieved exactly the opposite. Although politicians in Paris were initially displeased with the state of their country's relationship with St. Petersburg, they were eventually able to capitalise on the situation. By systematically excluding the government in Berlin from potential advantages derived from the successful intervention, the mutual trust in the alliance was restored and subsequently, St. Petersburg and Paris were able to strengthen their position vis-à-vis their imperial rivals in East Asia.