Russia and France form a defensive alliance…

Russia and France form a defensive alliance in July 1891.

The history of the Russo-French Rapprochement dates to the beginning of the 1870s, to the contradictions engendered by the Franco-Prussian War and the Treaty of Frankfurt of 1871.

The Russian government had supported France during the war scare of 1875 when Russian and British protests forced Germany to stop threatening an attack on France.

In 1876, the German chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, had attempted unsuccessfully to obtain from Russia a guarantee to preserve the territory of Alsace-Lorraine as part of Germany in exchange for unconditional support by Germany for Russian policy in the East.

In 1877, during the new Franco-German war scare, Russia had maintained friendly relations with France.

However, after the Berlin Congress of 1878, French diplomacy, in aiming at a rapprochement with Great Britain and Germany, had assumed a hostile position vis-à-vis Russia.

France's alienation from Russia and her policy of colonial seizures had lasted until 1885, when the Franco-German contradictions became heightened after the French defeat in Annam.

Early in 1887, new complications had arisen in Franco-German relations, and France appealed to the Russian government for aid.

In concluding the so-called Reinsurance Treaty with Germany in 1887, Russia had insisted on maintaining for France the same conditions that Germany had stipulated for its ally, Austria.

Russo-German economic discrepancies had grown stronger at the end of the 1880s.

The Russo-French political rapprochement contributes to the influx of French capital into Russia.

At the end of the 1880s and the beginning of the 1890s, Russia receives a number of large loans from France.

The deterioration of Russo-German relations, the resurrection of the Triple Alliance in 1891, and the rumors that Great Britain will join the alliance lays the grounds for the conclusion of a political agreement between Russia and France.

During a visit by a French squadron to Kronstadt in July 1891, the agreement of 1891 is concluded in the form of an exchange of letters between the ministers of foreign affairs

France is interested significantly more than Russia in a military alliance and endeavors to supplement the 1891 agreement with military obligations.