The Locarno Era
IB 20th Century Topics
Before the Locarno Era
 After
the Paris Peace Conference of 1919,
the world witnessed all sorts of strife and
even hatred among the countries of
Europe… ESPECIALLY WHEN TALKING
ABOUT GERMANY
The Tides Turn
 In
1924 and 1925, there was a new spirit
of friendship and international cooperation
 This new era was called many names
including:
Locarno Era
 Locarno Spring
 Locarno Spirit
The Locarno Treaties of 1925 sparked this era
of European Diplomacy

Locarno Treaties
 October
1925: International conference to
discuss the Locarno Treaties: 12 Days of
negotiation and delegates agreed on 5
Treaties
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Western Pact
Demilitarization of the Rhineland
Nonaggression Pacts
Arbitrations Treaties
Mutual Assistance Treaties
The Western Pact
 Signed
between Germany, France, Britain,
Belgium, and Italy
 Guaranteed the borders between
Germany and France and between
Germany and Belgium
Demilitarization of the Rhineland
 Germany
would have to demilitarize the
Rhineland (this was a sacrifice for
Germany)
The Nonaggression Pact
 Between
Germany and France and
Germany and Belgium
 Delegates from France, Germany and
Belgium pledge not to invade or resort to
war against each other except under
certain specified conditions
 They pledge to settle their mutual disputes
peacefully rather than by force
Arbitration Treaties
 Signed
between Germany, Poland, and
Czechoslovakia
 Germany agrees to not use force in
settling disagreements with these
countries.
 Instead, she would submit any
disagreements to an international
arbitration agency
Mutual Assistance Treaties
 France
signed treaties of mutual
assistance with Poland and
Czechoslovakia in case Germany broke
the arbitration treaties
Gustav Stresemann

He is the rep for the
Locarno Era
 German Statesman
 He had loads of
common sense and
was a humanitarian…
he made moral
decisions
 He was in charge of
Germany’s foreign
policy from 1923 til
1929.
Aristide Briand

Another important
figure of the Locarno
Era
 French Foreign
Minister
 “It is understandable to
be continually casting
doubts on Germany’s
goodwill… Stresemann
and I talked a new
language, a language
of Europe”
Treaties Signed During the Locarno
Era
 These
treaties signed during the Locarno
Era reflected the idealism of the time.

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Treaty of Berlin 1926
Admission of Germany into the League of
Nations in 1926
Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928
The Young Plan for reparations, adopted in
1929
The Evacuation of the Rhineland
Treaty of Berlin, 1926
 Signed
between Russia and Germany
 Reflected Stresemann’s hopes for peace
in both the east and the west
 Treaty provided that Russia and Germany
would be neutral
 It also decided that neither country would
ever wage an economic boycott against
the other (never restrict trade)
Admission of Germany into the
League of Nations
 In
September 1926
 Germany was granted full membership
 It was thought that the League couldn’t be
legit if it wouldn’t allow members in
Kellogg-Briand Pact, 1928

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August, 1928
The Pact outlawed war as a policy
It is one of the shortest policies on record
Signers: Germany, France, Britain, Belgium
Czechoslovakia, Italy, Poland, Japan and the US
The great powers apparently meant only to ban
wars of aggression and reserved to themselves
the right to determine whether their actions were
offensive or defensive
There was no procedure for enforcing the pact
The Young Plan
 Relates
to reparations
 The Important features of the Young Plan:


Total amount of reparations for Germany was
reduced dramatically to $26 Billion paid over
58.5 years
Payments were to be adjusted based on the
economic conditions of Germany (Ie:
payments were suspended during the Great
Depression)
Evacuation of the Rhineland

In a conference in August of 1929, the Allied
Powers agreed to pull their army completely out
of the Rhineland by June of 1930
The End of the Locarno Era
 Ended
in 1929
 Gustav Stresemann died and with his
death the Locarno Era symbolically ended
 A few days after his death, the Stock
Market Crashed in NYC and led to the
Great Depression