<P> During the 19th century, the major European powers went to great lengths to maintain a balance of power throughout Europe, resulting in the existence of a complex network of political and military alliances throughout the continent by 1900 . These began in 1815, with the Holy Alliance between Prussia, Russia, and Austria . When Germany was united in 1871, Prussia became part of the new German nation . Soon after, in October 1873, German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck negotiated the League of the Three Emperors (German: Dreikaiserbund) between the monarchs of Austria - Hungary, Russia and Germany . This agreement failed because Austria - Hungary and Russia could not agree over Balkan policy, leaving Germany and Austria - Hungary in an alliance formed in 1879, called the Dual Alliance . This was seen as a method of countering Russian influence in the Balkans as the Ottoman Empire continued to weaken . This alliance expanded in 1882 to include Italy, in what became the Triple Alliance . </P> <P> Bismarck had especially worked to hold Russia at Germany's side in an effort to avoid a two - front war with France and Russia . When Wilhelm II ascended to the throne as German Emperor (Kaiser), Bismarck was compelled to retire and his system of alliances was gradually de-emphasised . For example, the Kaiser refused, in 1890, to renew the Reinsurance Treaty with Russia . Two years later, the Franco - Russian Alliance was signed to counteract the force of the Triple Alliance . In 1904, Britain signed a series of agreements with France, the Entente Cordiale, and in 1907, Britain and Russia signed the Anglo - Russian Convention . While these agreements did not formally ally Britain with France or Russia, they made British entry into any future conflict involving France or Russia a possibility, and the system of interlocking bilateral agreements became known as the Triple Entente . </P> <P> German industrial and economic power had grown greatly after unification and the foundation of the Empire in 1871 following the Franco - Prussian War . From the mid-1890s on, the government of Wilhelm II used this base to devote significant economic resources for building up the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial German Navy), established by Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, in rivalry with the British Royal Navy for world naval supremacy . As a result, each nation strove to out - build the other in capital ships . With the launch of HMS Dreadnought in 1906, the British Empire expanded on its significant advantage over its German rival . The arms race between Britain and Germany eventually extended to the rest of Europe, with all the major powers devoting their industrial base to producing the equipment and weapons necessary for a pan-European conflict . Between 1908 and 1913, the military spending of the European powers increased by 50% . </P> <P> Austria - Hungary precipitated the Bosnian crisis of 1908--1909 by officially annexing the former Ottoman territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which it had occupied since 1878 . This angered the Kingdom of Serbia and its patron, the Pan-Slavic and Orthodox Russian Empire . Russian political manoeuvring in the region destabilised peace accords that were already fracturing in the Balkans, which came to be known as the "powder keg of Europe ." In 1912 and 1913, the First Balkan War was fought between the Balkan League and the fracturing Ottoman Empire . The resulting Treaty of London further shrank the Ottoman Empire, creating an independent Albanian state while enlarging the territorial holdings of Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece . When Bulgaria attacked Serbia and Greece on 16 June 1913, it lost most of Macedonia to Serbia and Greece, and Southern Dobruja to Romania in the 33 - day Second Balkan War, further destabilising the region . The Great Powers were able to keep these Balkan conflicts contained, but the next one would spread throughout Europe and beyond . </P>

Where did the first world war take place