WORLD WAR Foreign policy: Even before the start of the First World War, years of tension had fueled a rivalry between the great European powers, triggered by alliances, power plays, race to armaments and security. Furthermore, the Balkans were a power vacuum, formally under the control of a rapidly deteriorating Ottoman Empire. Imperialist expansionism on the part of Austria-Hungary and the German Reich also gave rise to tensions. Germany's increased efforts to have a colonial empire in Africa were another factor that led to the First World War. Throughout the 19th century, Britain, France and Germany had been competing with each other, trying to build colonies in the Americas, Africa and Asia. Russia, Japan and the United States were doing the same in the Asian theater. Africa and parts of Asia were points of contention between European countries. This was due to the raw materials these areas could provide. Increasing competition and the desire for larger empires led to increased confrontation that helped push the world into World War I. The resulting tensions and rivalries between the major European powers culminated in a dynamic arms race that was coming to a head in 1914. Time, countries across Europe entered into mutual defense agreements that would bring them into battle. If a country was attacked, allied countries were required to defend it. Before the First World War the following alliances existed: Russia and Serbia Germany and Austria-Hungary France and Russia Great Britain and France and Belgium Japan and Great Britain Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, Russia intervened to defend Serbia. Germany, seeing Russia's mobilization, declared war on Russia. France was then involved against Germany and Austria-Hungary. Germany attacked France through Belgium... half of the paper... signed the Nazi-Soviet pact with Hitler, which only increased anti-Soviet hostility in the West, but delayed the start of the war between the two powers . However, while Stalin hoped that Germany would remain mired in a war with France, the first Nazi conquests came quickly, allowing Germany to invade the Soviet Union in 1941. 1917 October: Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. 1918-1920 Unsuccessful Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War.1919March 15: Lenin creates the Communist International (Comintern) to promote international revolution.1922December 30: Creation of the USSR.1933The United States begins diplomatic relations with the USSR for the first time.August 13 1961, the East German government erected the Berlin Wall to prevent its citizens from fleeing to the West. For 28 years the Berlin Wall separated the West from the East and became the symbol of the Cold War.