<P> There are three notable exceptions which demonstrate that alliances did not in themselves force the great powers to act: </P> <Ul> <Li> The "Entente Cordiale" between Britain and France in 1905 included a secret agreement which left the northern coast of France and the Channel to be defended by the British navy only, and the separate "entente" between Britain and Russia (1907) that formed the so - called Triple Entente . However, the Triple Entente between Russia, France and the United Kingdom did not in fact force the United Kingdom to mobilize because it was not a military treaty . </Li> <Li> Moreover, general narratives of the war regularly misstate that Russia was allied to Serbia . Clive Ponting noted: "Russia had no treaty of alliance with Serbia and was under no obligation to support it diplomatically, let alone go to its defence". </Li> <Li> Italy, despite being part of the Triple Alliance did not enter the war in defence of its alliance partners . </Li> </Ul> <Li> The "Entente Cordiale" between Britain and France in 1905 included a secret agreement which left the northern coast of France and the Channel to be defended by the British navy only, and the separate "entente" between Britain and Russia (1907) that formed the so - called Triple Entente . However, the Triple Entente between Russia, France and the United Kingdom did not in fact force the United Kingdom to mobilize because it was not a military treaty . </Li> <Li> Moreover, general narratives of the war regularly misstate that Russia was allied to Serbia . Clive Ponting noted: "Russia had no treaty of alliance with Serbia and was under no obligation to support it diplomatically, let alone go to its defence". </Li>

Which was not a cause of the first world war