The significance of Disarmament

• Disarmament was one of President Wilson’s 14 Points, on which the peace was supposed to be based

• It was also one of the League’s main aims

• And it was also a principle means of avoiding another major war

The long-awaited Disarmament Conference, however, didn’t begin until February, 1932. Six months of negotiations led to a number of promising resolutions: the bombing of civilian populations was prohibited, as was the use of chemical warfare, and the size of artillery was to be limited, as was the tonnage of tanks. However, there were no means put in place to ensure the resolutions were honoured. Also, a resolution to abolish planes capable of dropping bombs was defeated, as was a resolution to abolish chemical weapons.

The most contentious issue though was always going to be the question of Germany’s level of arms: whether other countries should disarm to the level enforced on Germany or whether Germany should be allowed to rearm to the level of others. Germany was, after all, now a permanent member of the League’s Council. Surely, it had the right to equal treatment.

Britain felt it better to allow Germany to rearm in a controlled manner. But Germany brought the matter to a head in July, 1932 with a resolution for all countries to disarm down to its level. When it was defeated, it withdrew from the conference. In December, it was finally agreed that Germany should be treated equally and Germany announced that it would return to the conference. Germany was to be allowed to re-arm so that it would reach parity with other powers within eight years (the original proposal was for a limit of five years but France objected).

However, at the end of January, 1933 Hitler was made Chancellor. In May, he said that Germany would not rearm if other countries disarmed to German levels within five years. It was always an unrealistic idea and Hitler knew it, but he wanted to be seen as acting reasonably. In June, Britain produced an ambitious disarmament plan, but in October, Hitler again withdrew Germany from the conference and would soon take Germany out of the League altogether. It was what he wanted. He didn’t want to be tied by an international body like the League.

Britain and France had not been in agreement over the German question. Many people in Britain now felt that the Treaty of Versailles had been unfair to Germany, whilst France was again worried about Germany’s restoration to a strong military power.

So we can add two final points to our checklist to the significance of disarmament:

• The Disarmament Conference highlighted the differences between Britain and France with regard to how Germany should continue to be treated

• Failure to reach an agreement gave Hitler the excuse to not only walk out of the conference but t walk out of the League