In 1902, the Anglo-Japanese Alliance came into effect. British interests in the far east were threatened by Russian intervention. In response, Russia invited Germany to be an ally. In OTL Germany declined, but what if the Kaiser saw the benefits of having a large Great Power on its side?
POD
In 1902, Germany was invited to join Russia in an alliance. Kaiser Wilhelm II had wanted to reinstate the League of Three Emperors, and saw a chance. Germany and Russia soon became close allies. Austria-Hungary began to distance itself from Germany as France was drawn into the alliance.
Effects of the New Triple Empire League
In 1907, the Double Entente between France and Britain was formed. In response, Italy joined the new League of Empires. German, Russian, and Austro-Hungarian business interests helped boost Italian business. The League of Empires begins a campaign of Foreign Policy in the Balkans to gain more members. The Austro-Hungarian Empire is hesitant to assist countries in the Balkans because it felt threatened by the rise of a powerful Serbian Alliance.
The Ottoman War
In 1911, war broke out between the League of Empires and the Ottoman Empire. Italian soldiers invaded Libya on September 29. Dirigibles and airplanes see their first use in the war as war machines. As the Ottomans are distracted by war in Libya, the Balkan League took their chance to wage war on the Turks. Everything seemed to go wrong for the Sultan of Turkey when the Young Turk Revolution grew in wartime. By 1913, European Turkey was seized by the Balkan League. Libya ended up as an Italian colony. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was opposed to the rise of the Balkan League. It began to drift away from the rest of the League of Empires.
The Unthinkable
On June 28, 1914, the unthinkable happened: Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungaria is assassinated by a teenage Serbian terrorist. The Austro-Hungarians immediately blame the Serbs. The Russians and Germans take action after Serbia is invaded, war ensues.
WWI
France had been a loose ally of Austria-Hungary since the Ottoman War. When war started, the Germans and the French clashed. But too many forces were being deployed in the South to battle the French as much as in OTL. With heavy Russian and Italian assistance, the Germans conquer most of Austria-Hungary by 1918. Italy is granted a chunk and Russia is supplied with millions of dollars for their industrial help.