DISARMAMENT
DISARMAMENT
One of Wilson’s Fourteen Points: Disarmament.
Article 8:
Plans are drafted by the Council for the general
reduction of nation armaments
Article 9:
A permanent advisory commission on armaments
is to be appointed
LEAGUE OF NATIONS DISARMAMENT COMMISSION
 To check the sale of arms by private manufacturers
WASHINGTON CONFERENCE (1921 –1922)
WASHINGTON CONFERENCE (1921 –1922)
Purpose:
Disarm what?:
To disarm!
Naval expenditure. Britain (protecting its
empire) US and Japan were investing large
sums of money on their naval fleet.
Purpose:
Financial burden for UK and Japan –
couldn’t really af ford to continue
spending.
Dif fuse the tension that was increasing
between Japan and the USA – competing
interests in China
WASHINGTON CONFERENCE (1921 –1922)
Who organised it?
The US government very much the
initiator of the conference.
Interesting, considering they were
not interested in being part of the
League of Nations!
Why is the US getting involved?
Concerned about the instability in
China. ‘Warlord era’ left China
weak and invited foreign
intervention. US wanted to reduce
naval expenditure as did Japan.
Neither the US, Britain or Japan
could really keep up the naval fleets.
WASHINGTON CONFERENCE (1921 –1922)
RESULTS:
1) It was the most successful of the post -war disarmament
conferences. BUT success not permanent.
T YPICAL OF THE DISARMENT CONFERENCES! Produced very
limited and short term results.
2) There was a decision to limit the size and number of
battleships – limiting size of cruisers and aircraft carriers
3) Maintain a constant ratio naval armament 5:5:3 = USA , UK
and Japan
4) Limit the construction of bases in the Pacific – that meant
Japan had dominance as UK and the USA couldn’t build new
bases
5) It did destroy weapons and placed limits on future
armaments
WASHINGTON CONFERENCE (1921 –1922)
6) Four Power agreement (1921) = USA , UK, France, Japan.
Guaranteed their possessions in Asia. And agreed to defend
each other if attacked. IDEA? – To reduce the possibility of
conflict.
7) Nine Power Agreement (1922) = USA , Britain, France, Japan,
Italy, Belgium, China, Netherlands and Portugal
 Agreed to respect China’s sovereignty
 Agreed to the ‘Open Door’ whereby all countries were to have equal
trading rights in China
 Agreed to discuss problems of common interest
WASHINGTON CONFERENCE (1921 –1922)
What is the message of the political cartoon?
WASHINGTON CONFERENCE (1921 –1922)
Other results:
1) They constituted a positive step towards preventing a naval
arms race.
2) They signalled the end of Britain’s naval domination as Britain
accepted parity with the USA.
3) They mark the partial withdrawal of the British from East Asia
and meant that US power in East Asia was now greater than
that of Britain
4) Ships under 10 000 tons were not restricted, e.g. destroyers,
light cruisers and submarines
5) The treaties did not cover land forces
6) Japan was prepared to accept the terms throughout the 1920’s
7) No mechanism for enforcing the agreement
8) The USSR not invited to the Washington Conference – big
mistake as USSR a potential force in the Pacific.
LONDON NAVAL CONFERENCE 1930
Purpose:
The third in a series to reduce naval armaments
Who was there?
USA , France, Britain, Italy and Japan
Results:
Approve the extension of the Washington Naval
Treaty and freeze building ships for a fur ther 5
year s
New ratio for the USA , UK and Japan – now
10:10:7
France and Italy refused to take par t! – BUT agreed
to continue the ban on ships for another five year s.
The Great Depression meant that the nations were
prepared to cut spending on arms.
LONDON NAVAL CONFERENCE 1930
What is the message of the cartoon?
LONDON NAVAL TREAT Y 1936
Purpose:
Result:
The previous treaties Washington (1922)
and the London Naval Treaty (1930) were
due to expire. Time to renew the terms!
LONDON NAVAL TREAT Y 1936
THE GENEVA DISARMAMENT
CONFERENCE (1932 - 1934)
Purpose: Disarm, Disarm and Disarm!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwbrg0R5o8w
7 minutes long – an excellent view of the events and high hopes
of the world disarmament conference.
 League of Nations had been planning the conference for five
years.
 China and Japan were already at war
 Rise of extremism in Italy and Germany
THE GENEVA DISARMAMENT
CONFERENCE (1932 - 1934)
THE GENEVA DISARMAMENT
CONFERENCE (1932 - 1934)
Issues:
Germany and France couldn’t agree.
Either France should disarm down to Germany’s level or Germany
should be allowed to re -arm.
Neither scenario was acceptable to France, because they feared
Germany’s capacity to attack France
France wanted guarantees! i.e. inspections, peace -keeping forces
US and British representatives showed sympathy towards German
claims, arguing that the Versailles Treaty was too harsh – needs
revision
THE GENEVA DISARMAMENT
CONFERENCE (1932 - 1934)
 By 1933 Hitler had become Chancellor of Germany – he
HATED the League of Nations and was looking for an excuse to
withdraw from the Conference.
 The issue of parity with France was still criticized so Hitler
withdrew from the Disarmament conference and then the
League of Nations.
 The impasse over the balance of armed forces between France
and Germany had given Hitler what he had been hoping for.
Hitler now felt free to rearm openly, which he proceeded to
do. German rearmament was stepped up in 1933 – 34 but it
was in March 1935 that Hitler publically and decisively
repudiated the military restrictions laid down at Versailles
when he a announced the reintroduction of conscription.
PROBLEMS FOR THE GENEVA
CONFERENCE
1) The onset of the depression reduced the atmosphere of
optimism and international cooperation. More nationalistic
attitudes began to prevail. – Security became an issue.
2) Distinguishing between offensive and defensive weapons. USA
wanted to eliminate offensive weapons to make the world feel
safer.
3) When decisions were made, after long debates that weakened
the conference’s aims there was no way to enforce those
decisions.
4) Germany had been evading disarmament since the Rapallo
Treaty – 1922
5) Disarmament would not be able to proceed unless ALL nations
felt secure in reducing weapons
6) The conference was hypocritical. Germany showed that –
either disarm to Germany’s level or re -arm to France’s level
7) Italy not interested in reducing its armed forces – had imperial
ambitions