International Relations Overview

What were the USA’s aims in 1919 for the post-war world?

Republicans defeated Wilson in 1920 presidential election

• They wanted isolation from EU affairs

What were France’s aims in 1919 for the post-war world?

Wanted security from possibility of a German attack

2 policies:

1. Encirclement- tried to surround germany with countries who were friendlier to france (the little entente: yugoslavia, czechoslovakia, romania, poland)

2. rearmed + strengthened rhineland border w Germany by building the Maginot Line (1929-34)

What were Britain’s aims in 1919 for the post-war world?

recover wealth + power via trade

What were Germany’s aims in 1919 for the post-war world?

Weimar gov wanted recovery in EVERY SENSE

• military, economic, political, diplomatic

To achieve this, ger would have to break the ToV

What did ger and br have in common?

Need to recover via trade

Improvement or decline in international relations in 1920s?

Improvement.

• due to work of 3 foreign ministers: Chamberlain (Br), Briand (Fr), Stresemann (Gm)

Improvement or decline in international relations in 1930s?

Deterioration

29th October 1929- Wall Street Crash

• major powers’ economies declined- led to depression

• extremist groups (communists + fascists) increased in popularity

• german, italian + japanese aggressive foreign policy resulted in WW2

Improved relations: 1920-1929

• 1921-1922: Washington Naval Treaties

• April 1922: Treaty of Rapallo

• 1924: Dawes Plan

• 1925: The Locarno Treaties

• 1928: Kellog-Briand Pact (Pact of Paris)

• 1929: Young Plan

Washington Naval Treaties 1921-1922

Series of treaties (4 power, 9 power, 5 power) that agreed to respect each other’s Pacific possessions & guarantee China’s independence

There would be a ten year stoppage in the building of capital ships (more than 10,000 tons

Treaty of Rapallo 1922

Russia and Germany said they would not attack each other, and trade links were opened.

• Germans would supply the Soviets with technology in return for the right to practice in the USSR (Remember, no German air force allowed in the treaty of Versailles)

Dawes Plan 1924

Series of loans from US to Germany helping Germany with its reparations

Ger received up to 125 million pounds in the 5th year installment

The Locarno Treaties 1925

Britain, France & Germany agreed to meet in Switzerland, at Locarno, in 1925

• Germany accepted her frontiers with France and Belgium and agreed not to change them. (Accepting the loss of Alsace-Lorraine and that the Rhineland was a demilitarised zone) Britain and Italy guaranteed to protect France if Germany violated these borders.

• Germany agreed not to alter her borders with Poland or Czechoslovakia without discussion with France and her Little Entente partners.

Kellog-Briand Pact (Pact of Paris) 1928

In 1926 Germany signed a Treaty of Neutrality with the USSR which worried the French.

In April 1927 Briand appealed to the US Secretary of State, F.B. Kellogg for assistance.

A nine power conference met in Paris in August 1928 and eventually 65 nations signed a pact that outlawed war unless a nation acted in self-defence.

1. US involvement reassured France and America’s other European allies.

2. USSR signed the Pact marking some recognition of Communist Russia by other powers.

3. Germany signed the Pact and this calmed French suspicions of Germany’s aggression.

4. This Pact was later viewed as being of good intent, reflecting the good will of the period but unfortunately having no practical means of preventing war.

5. Nor did the agreement help the League of Nations with disarmament. The sates all agreed that they had to keep their armies for "self-defence."

Young Plan 1929

Stresemann appealed to the USA for further assistance in paying reparations (to update the Dawes Plan).

• The Young committee reduced Germany’s liability to £2,000 million to be paid over 59 years. It was to start in May 1930

• Collapsed because of Wall Street Crash

Why were international relations more peaceful in the 20s?

• world economic prosperity- boom in US

• prosperity of Stresemann years encouraged moderate gov in Germany + international goodwill

• soviet union in isolation + building ‘Socialism in One Country’

• general war weariness- powers still recovering

• washington naval treaty prevented destabilising effects of rivalry on seas (br not threatened…)

Why was league successsful in 20s?

mostly due to general conditions, not just league itself

• successes in Bulgaria

• success in Aaland Islands 1921

• Resolved dispute in Upper Silesia 1921