They felt safer in a pact together because they figured that Russia would not attack two Empires at the same time.
These countries and ruling powers were worried about Russia attacking them from the East. The German Empire (the Second Reich) and Austro-Hungarian Empire were two important powers in Central and Eastern Europe at the time. Remaining neutral is when you don’t take sides (it just meant that Germany promised not to side with any other powers apart from Austria-Hungary and Italy). They all agreed to protect each other if they were attacked by Russia and to remain neutral in case they were attacked by any other country. When Italy joined in 1882, it became the Triple Alliance. In 1871, Germany made an alliance with Austria-Hungary (which was one single country then). Who were the Allies, and who were the Central Powers? Reading this will help you to understand who was on whose side and why. So, before we know what caused the First World War, we should look at these pacts and how they started. Actually, there were lots of pacts, friendships and alliances that meant one country would defend another country if war was declared. It seems a bit complicated at first when we look at it that way.
Why did Germany declare war on Russia because a Serbian killed an Austrian man? In the First World War, it can be a bit tricky to work out who was fighting who, and who was on whose side.
