Unraveling Disarmament: Assessing the Challenges and Failures of the 1932-1933 Conferences

Disarmament Conferences (1932 – 1933)

Disarmament Conferences 1932 – 1933

Took place in Geneva, Switzerland

Wilson and Roosevelt both believed that peace in Europe could be ensured if all countries disarmed, and therefore included international disarmament in his 14 points. These conferences were an effort to actualize this ideal.

Roosevelt: “If all nations will agree wholly to eliminate from possession and use the weapons which make possible a successful attack, defenses automatically will become impregnable and the frontiers and independence of every nation will become secure.

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The League, USA and Russia were involved

The conferences were considered a failure.

The first effort at international arms limitation was at the Hague Conferences before the First World War, but failed

Many modern historians nowadays, as well as politicians at the time, believed the outbreak of WWI to be because of the arms race before 1914 that increased international tension and made the war possible

Difficulties

• Disagreements on how to classify weapons as offensive and defensive
• Polarization of France and Germany
  • Both were unwilling to disarm, in case the other struck in its vulnerability
  • Germany unhappy that other countries, especially France, were unwilling to disarm to their level (determined by the ToV)
  • France felt a militarily inferior Germany was the only insurance that a serious conflict like the previous war would not occur again, and so hoped to keep Germany weak
  • France built the Maginot Line 1929-1939 along the border of the Rhineland
    • Reflected its insecurity, suspicion and distrust in Germany and the treaty – showed France did not trust these treaties to succeed in their aim
    • France wanted protection and security from USA and Britain, but did not receive it as:
      • USA was staunchly isolationist
      • Britain was concerned with its economy and sustaining its colonies
    • All countries were self-interested
      • more interested in solving the Depression and healing their economies
      • Disinterested in striving for pacifism and leveling world issues
      • Spirit of Locarno (1925) had passed by now – influence of the Depression
• 1932: other countries refused to disarm to Germany’s level, who secretly started rearming again
  • Made this known in the military parade of 1935
  • This rearmament coincided with the British and French cut in defense spending, intensifying tensions in international relations and France’s insecurity towards Germany
• Members of the League did not want to disarm, especially as tensions were starting to escalate
  • Manchurian Crisis 1931
  • Failures of the League to deal with minor conflicts – Corfu 1932
• Talks broke down when Hitler withdrew from the Conference and League in October 1933, after he became Chancellor