First World War.com - Primary Documents

First World War.com - A multimedia history of world war one

Treaty of London, 1839, signed by British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston Primary Documents - Pre-1914
Updated - Saturday, 29 May, 2004

This page of the Primary Documents section of the website collects together archive source documents originating in the years preceding the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 - in some cases many years before.

Included among the pre-1914 documents is the 1839 Treaty of London, which bound Britain to defend neutral Belgium, with momentous consequences some 75 years later; and the text of the 1904 Entente Cordiale which saw Anglo-French relations improve to the point that a military alliance in the event of war against either at the hands of Germany became feasible.

The list presented below - with each entry accompanied by a brief summary of its significance - is sorted by date, with earlier documents listed first.

	Treaty of London 1839 (click here) 1839 - Britain guaranteed Belgian neutrality
	Ems Telegram (click here) 1870 - Bismarck's attempt to provoke France into war
	Dual Alliance (click here) 1879 - Germany's alliance with Austria-Hungary
	Three Emperor's League (click here) 1881 - Russia's alliance with Germany/Austria-Hungary
	Triple Alliance (click here) 1882 - Italy joined Germany and Austria-Hungary's alliance
	Reinsurance Treaty (click here) 1887 - Bismarck's alliance with Russia
	France-Russian Military Convention (click here) 1892 - French/Russian precursor to Triple Entente alliance
	Anglo-Japanese Alliance (click here) 1902 - Intended as counterweight to France and Russia
	Entente Cordiale (click here) 1904 - Anglo-French diplomatic agreement
	Anglo-Russian Entente (click here) 1908 - Russia joins the Anglo-French Entente agreement
	Young Turk Proclamation (click here) 1908 - Issued by Young Turk administration in 1908
	President Wilson's Inauguration Address (click here) 1913 - Address given by Wilson at start of his first term
	Crown Prince Wilhelm on Upcoming War (click here) 1913 - Germany heir to the throne's enthusiasm for war

"Dry rations" was the sardonic name used by Anzac soldiers to describe religious sermons.