Failure at Disarmament

• Failure at Disarmament

  ● Disarmament: the process of reducing or abolishing weapons

  ● The League did not manage to achieve much success in disarmament

  ● Success was mostly determined by individual states who acted on their own accord and not the LON e.g. USA

  ● The failure of Disarmament meant that countries still had the military capacity for war, which allowed the possibility for WW2 to occur
• Washington Naval Conference (1921) - Success

  • Aim was to get major naval powers to disarm and put an end to the expensive naval arms race.
  • USA, Britain, France, Italy and Japan agreed to reduce the size of their navies
  • Effective in curbing the naval power of powerful countries
  • However, agreement only dealt with the navy, not air/land forces.
  • Organised by the USA, not LON
• Locarno Treaties (1925) - Partial Success


  • Germany agreed to respect its new Western boundaries as determined by the TOV
  • Germany also agreed not to remilitarize the Rhineland along its Western border with France.
  • Improved relations between Germany and its former enemies, paving the way for Germany’s entry in the LON.
  • This was proposed by Germany and not the LON
  • Germany did not guarantee its Eastern borders.
• Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928) - Failure

  • Signed by 15 nations, including the major powers, in Aug 1928.
  • In the following months, more than 60 countries joined in to agree that they would not resort to war to achieve their political or economic ambitions.
  • No clear way to enforce the Pact – with no way to act against those who did not abide by the agreed terms.
  • Loophole in the Pact allowed for undeclared wars since the countries involved would not be officially at war.
• World Disarmament Conference (1932-1934) - Failure

  • The Conference was bogged down by disagreements over how disarmament should be carried out e.g. what level should countries disarm to.
  • Many were afraid to disarm as it makes them more vulnerable
  • Germany insisted on matching the other power’s armament level
  • Countries like France refused to disarm out of fear of Germany
  • No agreement was reached at the conference.
  • It was clear that the major countries did not trust one another and prioritised their national interest
  • Germany walked out of the conference and subsequently withdrew from LON
• Failure at Disarmamment Impact

  • The countries’ unwillingness to compromise and trust each other increased tension in Europe
  • Lack of faith in LON made countries try to protect their own national interests by taking unilateral action
  • The failure of disarmament also meant that countries maintained a big army and are war-ready, which made them more prone to solve disputes with aggression, leading to war
  • LON having little credibility also made aggressors like Hitler and Mussolini more confident in carrying out their aggressive foreign policy, leading to WWII