1830 AD
Balance of Power

Germany is allied with Japan. The French are allied with the Indians. The world is in the midst of a very tense peace. If someone should make a mistake -- a captured spy or a border transgression -- the world may erupt in war. 

1832 AD
Mobilization

War appears to be inevitable. French troops are massing on the border. Bismark has put the German nation on a war-time footing. Our production skyrockets. There will be no more circuses until the threat of war recedes.  

Anticipation: Being able to anticipate the outbreak of war allows you to properly prepare. In this situation, the mutual-protection-pacts have created a situation whereby if anyone goes to war, everyone goes to war. Our cities have already completed most of the important improvements, so mobilization will give us the extra production to prepare for the inevitable war.