<P> The Triple Entente between Britain, France and Russia is often compared to the Triple Alliance between Germany, Austria--Hungary and Italy, but historians caution against the comparison . The Entente, in contrast to the Triple Alliance or the Franco - Russian Alliance, was not an alliance of mutual defence and Britain therefore felt free to make her own foreign policy decisions in 1914 . As British Foreign Office Official Eyre Crowe minuted: "The fundamental fact of course is that the Entente is not an alliance . For purposes of ultimate emergencies it may be found to have no substance at all . For the Entente is nothing more than a frame of mind, a view of general policy which is shared by the governments of two countries, but which may be, or become, so vague as to lose all content ." </P> <P> A series of diplomatic incidents between 1905 and 1914 heightened tensions between the Great Powers and reinforced the existing alignments, beginning with the First Moroccan Crisis . </P> <P> The First Moroccan Crisis (also known as the Tangier Crisis) was an international crisis between March 1905 and May 1906 over the status of Morocco . The crisis worsened German relations with both France and the United Kingdom, and helped ensure the success of the new Anglo - French Entente Cordiale . In the words of historian Christopher Clark "The Anglo - French Entente was strengthened rather than weakened by the German challenge to France in Morocco". </P> <P> In 1908 Austria - Hungary announced its annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, dual provinces in the Balkan region of Europe formerly under the control of the Ottoman Empire . Though Bosnia and Herzegovina were still nominally under the sovereignty of the Ottoman Empire in 1908, Austria - Hungary had administered the provinces since the Congress of Berlin in 1878, when the great powers of Europe awarded it the right to occupy the two provinces, with the legal title to remain with Turkey . The announcement in October 1908 of Austria - Hungary's annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina upset the fragile balance of power in the Balkans, enraging Serbia and pan-Slavic nationalists throughout Europe . Though weakened Russia was forced to submit, to its humiliation, its foreign office still viewed Austria - Hungary's actions as overly aggressive and threatening . Russia's response was to encourage pro-Russian, anti-Austrian sentiment in Serbia and other Balkan provinces, provoking Austrian fears of Slavic expansionism in the region . </P>

What was the first cause of world war 1