What was the purpose of the Washington Naval Disarmament Conference and the Kellogg Briand Pact? What prompted them? Was the purpose accomplished?
1 Answer
In the decade after WW-1, there was a widespread belief that international treaties and the League of Nations could make it more difficult for nations to go to war again; it didn't work.
Explanation:
In the 1920s, the League of Nations represented a new hope for open diplomacy that might prevent another war like the WW-1 from ever happening again.
The Washington Naval Treaty -- the world's first Disarmament Conference -- was undertaken by the US under the auspices of the League of Nations. The conference played limits on the size of new warships (preventing an arms race via size limits on new heavy cruisers, battleships and aircraft carriers) and set ratios on the tonnage and numbers of major warships permitted to the signatories of the treaty.
The intention was to prevent a naval arms race from taking place among the World's treat powers.
The 1928 Kellogg Briand Pact built on the success of the League of Nations was a treaty aimed at renouncing the use of war, in lieu of negotiations, to resolve differences between states. It also made it illegal to annex territory by force.
Then came the Great Depression in 1929. WIthin four years of signing the Pact, Japan (a signatory state) had invaded Manchuria, within eight Italy had invaded Ethiopia, and within 11 years, Germany and the USSR attacked Poland. By 1935, the Naval Treaty was in tatters and a naval build-up (begun by Germany and Japan) ended the treaty.
Still, some commentators and legalists believe the Kellogg Briand Pact still has validity today, and argue this point when state vs state warfare appears. Others believe it has long been invalidated.
