Chapter 17 - Spirit of Locarno

• Briand - French foreign minister 

  Austin Chamberlain - half brother of neville chamberlain + british foreign secretary
• The temporary mixed commission on armaments (1921) 

  • Was created to look at ways to disarm nations in order to prevent further wars
  • Proposed banning the bombing of civilians, restricting the amount of artillery and tanks 
  • Chemical warfare was banned
  • Delegates couldn’t agree
• The draft treaty of mutual assistance (1923)

  *treaty was never enacted

  The draft was unppopular with many nations, especially britain 

  • It stated the league had 4 days to declare who was the aggressor 
  • After this the league would send armed forces 
  • All members of the league had to contribute troops 

  Britain argued their troops were needed to defend their empire.
• Dawes plan:

  Context:

  • Communist russia was the ‘bogeyman’ of europe 
  • Britain and france saw germany as a potential barrier against Russian Communism 
  • Britain feared if germany couldnt pay then internal revolution could result (like in 1919 - spartacist uprising)
  • France wass bitter after the ruhr occupation and britain’s failure to offer support 
  • France owed money to the USA, The US was keen to discuss german reparations

  Aim was to restructure reparations and aid german economic recovery. → prevent further things like Ruhr occupation.
• Terms of the Dawes plan (1924):

  1. German reparations restructured

  • 1st year germany would pay 1 billion marks, rising to 2.5 billion in subsequent years

  1. The reichsbank would be restructured and have allied supervision
  2. French and belgian troops would withdraw from the ruhr and allow germany to regain industrial assets
  3. Sanctions could be used if germany deliberately failed to pay

  *America loans 800 million marks to Germany - wasn’t part of the plan. American investors were eager to invest.
• Consequences of dawes plan:

  • Germany’s international standing greatly improved

  Kickstarted the golden years of the weimar republlic 1923-1929

  • Ramsay macdonald (british prime minister) was optimistic with their long term development 
  • France saw themselves as isolated and vulnerable 
  • Britain + USA discouraged occupations to secure reparations
  • It highlighted a more conciliatory approach to germany, but undermined the treaty of versailles 
  • France learned that it could not enforce the terms of the treaty of Versailles without the support of britain.
• in 1924:

  Pime minister of france - Edouard Herriot

  Prime minister of Britain - Ramsay Macdonald

  Czechoslovakian leader - Benes
• Geneva protocol 1924 Terms:

  • In the event of a dispute countries would submit their case to the league and not go to war while the case was arbitrated by the permanent court of international justice
  • An aggressor would be defined as any power making war during the process of arbitration
  • All members must pledge to attend a conference to limit armaments 
• The foreign ministers at Locarno:

  1. British foreign secretary - Austen chamberlain (half brother of Neville chamberlain) was a francophile

  He was determined to revise the post-war settlements in germany’s favour in order to guarantee european security

  1. Aristide Briand -

  Believed in more conciliatory style unlike clemenceau 

  Accepted cooperation with germany and initiated the kellogg-briand pact 

  1.  Gustav stresemann
• What was agreed at Locarno?

  1. Treaty of mutual guarantee - defined the borders of germany, france, and belgium. It also stated that the rhineland would become a demilitarised zone
  2. Germany, France, and belgium agreed to not go to war against each other unless theterms of the Mutual treaty were broken, or if the league of nations requested action against an aggressor.

  Britain was the guarantor (referee) of the pact. 

  
  

  3. Germany agreed 4 separate treaties between; France, belgium, Czechoslovakia and poland to peacefully resolve any other disputes. 
• Kellogg-Briand Pact 1928

  • Signed by 62 nations 
  • It renounced the use of war 
  • Brazil and argentina didn’t sign.
  • Its terms weredeliberately compromised aas not to undermine the league of nations 
  • It was ‘watered down’ and its high ideals were weakened as a consequence. 
  • This was the ‘high point’ of post-war conciliation. 
• The Locarno pact of 1925 meant the Rhineland became a demilitarised zone