IB HISTORY PAPER ONE
Tim White
Disarmament – Washington Naval Conference
1921 – 1922
Source A
Cartoon by David Low published in the Evening Standard Newspaper in 1930
Source B
Extract from Disarmament: Washington Naval Conference by Historian Kennedy
Hickman published in 2011
http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/militarystrategies/p/washingtontreat.htm
‘Since some commissioned warship exceeded the treaty terms, some exceptions were
made for existing tonnage. Under the treaty, older warships could be replaced,
however the new vessels were required to meet the restrictions and all signatories
were to be informed of their construction. The 5:5:3:1:1 ratio imposed by the treaty
led to friction during negotiations. France, with coasts on the Atlantic and
Mediterranean, felt that it should be permitted a larger fleet than Italy. They were
finally convinced to agree to the ratio by promises of British support in the Atlantic.’
Source C
Extract from Mastering Modern World History – The Washington Conference by
Norman Lowe
At the time, the agreements were regarded as a great success, and relations between
the powers involved improved. In reality, however, Japan was left supreme in the Far
East, possessor of the world’s third largest navy, which she could concentrate in the
Pacific. On the other hand, the navies of Britain and the USA, though larger, were
spread more widely. This was to have unfortunate consequences for China in the
1930s when the USA refused to become involved in checking Japanese aggression.
Source D
An extract from Peacemaking, Peacekeeping - International Relations, 1918 – 1936
The Washington conference was the most successful of the post-war disarmament
conferences, though its successes were limited and not permanent. That is typical of
all post-war disarmament conferences, which produced very limited and usually
short-term results. The most critical point to make about disarmament conferences is
that they cannot succeed in a vacuum. The reasons for arms races have to be
addressed before disarmament can take place.
Source E
An extract from The Concurrent Conferences: the Washington Naval Conference and
the Far Eastern Affairs Conference of 1922 by Edward Chusid published in 2008
Overall both of the conferences were dominated by a spirit of co-operation between
the attending great powers; several differences in policy between them did not derail
this conference as they did many future efforts at disarmament. Negotiations between
the five attending great powers were dominated by two major underlying immediate
goals; first, arriving at an agreement to contain simmering clashes of interest in the
Pacific between Great Britain, Japan, and China; and second, to ensure a naval
balance between the great powers that would preclude aggression.
MARK SCHEME
1. a) What according to source E was the significance of the Washington Naval
Conference? (3 marks)
b) What message is conveyed by source A? (2 marks)
2. Compare and contrast the views expressed about the Washington Naval
Conference in Sources C and D? (6 marks)
3. With reference to their origins and purpose, assess the value and limitations
of sources B and E for historians studying the Washington Naval Conference?
(6 marks)
4. Using the sources and your own knowledge, determine whether the
Washington Naval Conference made significant and long-lasting improvements
to international relations between the period of 1922 – 1936. (8 marks)