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Events on Tuesday 7 October 1879 1
1879Germany and Austria-Hungary Sign the Dual AllianceDefensive pact binds Berlin and Vienna against RussiaChancellor Otto von Bismarck concluded a secret defensive alliance between the German and Austro-Hungarian empires, committing each to support the other if attacked by Russia. The pact became the core of the later Triple Alliance with Italy and shaped European diplomacy until World War I. It marked a decisive shift in Bismarck's balance-of-power strategy.