Próby ograniczenia zbrojeń w okresie międzywojennym 1919-1939

Abstract

Three phases may be indicated in the process of the restriction of armaments in interwar period. In the first one (1919-1922) the restrictions concerned with armaments were an important factor which shaped the new position of forces. The Peace Treaty of Paris resulted in a considerable restriction of the military capacities of Germany and her former allies. In Washington some changes in the group of victorious powers took place. There the United States tried to secure the naval parity with Great Britain while Japan became the third naval power and the position of Prance was evidently depreciated. In the next phase (1922-1936) on the one hand the powers attempt to subordinate the remaining important navies in the Washington proportions while on the other hand they try to work out, under the leadership of the League of Nations, the general convention of disarmament. Both these trends are being undermined by the animosities of the smaller countries as well as by German, Italian, and Japanese opposition to the restriction of armaments. Formally the good points of this period are: the Naval Agreement of Great Britain and Germany in 1935, and the Second London Naval Treaty of 1936. In the third phase (1936-1939) the powers have already no illusions as to the possibility of the restriction of armaments but they accept the solitary efforts of Great Britain who tried by the means of bilateral negotiations to aid - without success - the weakened status quo. Of course, there were some deviations from these rules: the League of Nations had been active before 1922 while the London Treaty of 1930 was a logical continuation of the first phase of the process of armament restrictions (the Washington Conference). Real restrictions were possible so long as the powers were interested in them and able to incline the vanquished nations to accept them. It may be well to mention here that the most important part was played, according to the wishes of these powers, by the restrictions of naval armaments. When the affirmation of restrictions became impossible all the system was soon destroyed.