France and Russia . By 1894, they had been allowed to move together.

This was not

based on economic links although France was making loans to Russia regularly from
1888. Nor was it based upon any common territorial interests. Ideologically the two
states could not be further apart. The basis of the rapprochement was simply the fear of
isolation.
(a) The changed emphasis ofGerman diplomacy
1 The non-renewal ojthe Reinsurance Treaty (1890) . Both the Kaiser and Russia
were keen to renew the treaty. It was Holstein who argued that it could damage
relations with Austria if it became known and that in any case if war broke out
between France and Germany Russian neutrality was not guaranteed (see Section
16.5(d)) .
2 German pursuit ofa relationship with Britain. Both Russia and France were bound
to be disturbed by the apparent movement together of Britain and the Triple
Alliance:
- The Heligoland Agreement of 1890, which involved the exchange of Heligoland
for Zanzibar, encouraged German hopes of an alliance .
- On the renewal of the Triple Alliance in 1890 Rudini, the Italian prime minister,
deliberately gave the impression that Britain was somehow linked to the alliance
to help strengthen the hand of Italy in her ambitions in North Africa.