Page 87 - NS-2 Textbook

The Interwar Years, 1918-1941

After World War I was over} the victorious Allies con- business recession, felt not only in the United States but
ferred at Versailles, France. TIley imposed their demands also in other major industrial nations. It seemed to Pres-
on a defeated Germany the following J1me. The resulting ident Harding that it was tinle for the Allies to come to
Treaty of Versailles included a requirement that Germany an agreement on arms limitations.
pay reparations (payments for economic injury) to the In November 1921 Britain, France, Italy, and Japan
Allies, eventually set at $33 billion, an amount far be- were invited to send representatives to a conference in
yond Germany's ability to pay. TIlis provision served to Washington on naval disarmament. At the opening of the
foster much resentment on the part of many Germans conference the United States stunned the conferees with
toward the Allies for years to come. sweeping proposals to drastically reduce the standing
As part of the treaty inserted at President Wilson's navies of each of the major naval powers. Among other
insistence, the Allies agreed to form the League of Na- things, the United States, Britain, and Japan would agree
tions, an organization in which the nations of the "vorld to a 5:5:3 ratio in battleship tonnage. After several weeks
would join together to ensure peace and security for all. of negotiations, the Washington Naval Disarmament
But because the league included a mutual defense provi- Treaty was signed. ntis linrited the total tonnage of capi-
sion, which stated that an attack on one would be de- tal ships and placed linritations on the tonnage and arma-
fended by all, the u.s. Congress refused to accept the ment of these ships and cruisers. The treaty linrited battle-
treaty, despite many attempts by Wilson to gain support ships to nine 16-inch guns and cruisers to 8-inch guns. No
for it. Finally, in July 1921, after Wilson had been re- linritations on total tonnage of cruisers were included.
placed as president by Warren Harding, Congress passed As a concession to the Japanese, who felt that the
a resolution to end the war and ratified separate peace treaty gave them third-rate naval status, a so-called non-
treaties with the Axis powers that October. fortification clause was inserted. TIlis specified that no
Another treaty provision that was a severe blow to further fortifications in the Pacific area would be carried
German morale 'was that most of the ne'wer German 'war- out by Japan, by the United States in any of its posses-
ships had to be turned over to the Allies. Germany was sions west of Hawaii, or by the British anywhere east of
allowed to retain only half a dozen predreadnought bat- Singapore and north of Australia. Another treaty negoti-
tleships and cruisers and hvelve destroyers, but no sub- ated sinlultaneously "guaranteed" the territorial in-
marines. However, before the Allies could take owner- tegrity of China.
ship of the forfeited vessels, the German navy succeeded TIlere were, of course, some Americans 'who voiced
in scuttling them all at Scapa Flow, where they had been opposition to the treaty provisions. The United States
ordered to proceed at the end of hostilities. The furious would not remain one of the strongest naval powers in
Allies then decreed that almost all of the remaining Ger- the world if it followed the agreements. But most Amer-
man navy's ships had to be turned over to the Allies. icans, concerned with the ,veak economy and V\Tanting to
stay isolated from events in Europe, could not be per-
suaded to spend money on warships. As might have
NAVAL DISARMAMENT TREATIES
been expected, soon after the treaty was signed, all the
Soon after World War I a headlong rush "back to nor- world powers except the United States began major
malcy" had quickly made itself felt across the United heavy-cruiser building programs. The Japanese also pro-
States. Isolationism gained in favor. Naval building proj- ceeded to fortify major island bases in the Pacific, once
ects were vetoed as the country listened to the demands they knew Britain and the United States would do noth-
of pacifists to cut military spending. In 1921 there was a ing to contest such consh'uction.

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