who undermined bismarck's international policies by refusing to renew the reinsurance treaty
Reinsurance Treaty When in 1890, Russia asked for a renewal of the treaty, Germany refused. Kaiser Wilhelm II believed his relationship with Tsar Alexander III would be sufficient to ensure further genial diplomatic ties and felt that maintaining a close bond with Russia would act to the detriment of his aims to attract Britain into the German sphere. Like the Austro-Russian antagonism, Anglo-Russian relations too were strained due to Russia gaining influence in the Balkans. The Russian aim of controlling the Straits of the Dardanelles, would threaten British colonial interests in the Middle East. Having become alarmed at its growing isolation, Saint Petersburg, as Bismarck had feared, entered into the Franco-Russian Alliance in 1894, ending French isolation. The dismissal of Bismarck, the erratic temper of Wilhelm II and the uncertain policy of the men who succeeded Bismarck (partly out of consideration for England, they failed to renew the Reinsurance Treaty with Russia but did renew the Triple Alliance), were joint causes of a period of fundamental change.[2]
World War I reparations Due to the lack of reparation payments by Germany, France occupied the Ruhr in 1923 to enforce payments, causing an international crisis that resulted in the implementation of the Dawes Plan in 1924. This plan outlined a new payment method and raised international loans to help Germany to meet its reparation commitments. Despite this, by 1928 Germany called for a new payment plan, resulting in the Young Plan that established the German reparation requirements at 112 billion marks (US$26.3 billion) and created a schedule of payments that would see Germany complete payments by 1988. With the collapse of the German economy in 1931, reparations were suspended for a year and in 1932 during the Lausanne Conference they were cancelled altogether. Between 1919 and 1932, Germany paid less than 21 billion marks in reparations.