The League of Nations was important role:

• Settled a number of international disputes and problems.
• Authority was weakened, as many states seemed to prefer signing agreements independently of the League.
• Suggests that they were not brimming with confidence at the League's prospects.

• Tried to improve relations between the USA and Japan as the USA was suspicious of growing Japanese power.
• Agreed that the Japanese navy would be limited to three-fifths the size of the American and British navies.
• The USA, Japan, Britain and France agreed to guarantee the neutrality of China and to respect each other's possessions in the Far East.
• Successful as relations improved. Japan was left supreme in the Far East with third largest navy.

• Idea of British Prime Minister, Lloyd George, who hoped it would solve problems of 1) French - German hostility - the Germans were threatening to stop paying reparations, 2) war debts to the USA, and 3) the need to resume proper relations with Soviet Russia.
• Conference failed: the French insisted on full reparation payments; the Americans did not attend, and the Germans and Russians withdrew. Germans failed to pay, French troops occupied the Ruhr with resulting deadlock.

• Drawn up and accepted at a conference in London.
• Ramsay MacDonald, Edouard Herriot and Gustav Stresemann, political newcomers were eager for reconciliation.
• Americans were persuaded to take part. Chaired by the American General Dawes.
• No reduction was made in the total amount Germany was expected to pay, but would only pay what could be afforded annually.
• Germany was given a foreign loan of 800 million gold marks, mainly from the USA.
• France agreed to withdraw her troops from the Ruhr.
• Successful - the German economy began to recover, international tensions gradually relaxed, preparing the way for the next agreements.

The Locarno Treaties of 1925

• Agreements involving Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Belgium, Poland and Czechoslovakia.
• Most important was that Germany, France and Belgium - promised to respect their joint frontiers; if one of the three broke this agreement, Britain and Italy would assist the state that was being attacked.
• Germany signed agreements with Poland and Czechoslovakia providing for arbitration over possible disputes.
• Agreements greeted with wild enthusiasm all over Europe, and the reconciliation between Germany and France was referred to as the 'Locarno honeymoon'.
• But, no guarantees were given about Germany's eastern frontiers with Poland and Czechoslovakia.
• World enjoyed a period of great economic prosperity, Germany was admitted to the League in 1926 and Stresemann and Briand (French Foreign Minister from 1925 to 1932) met regularly and had friendly discussions; often Austen Chamberlain (British Foreign Minister from 1924 until 1929) joined them.
• This 'Locarno spirit' culminated in the next piece of paper signing.

Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928)

• Idea of Briand who proposed that France and the USA should sign a pact renouncing war.
• Frank B. Kellogg, the American Secretary of State, proposed that the whole world should be involved.
• 65 states signed, agreeing to renounce war as an instrument of national policy.
• Sounded impressive, but was completely useless because no mention was made of sanctions against any state that broke its pledge. E.g.Japan for example signed the pact, but was not prevented from waging war against China only three years later.

The Young Plan (1929)

• Aimed to settle the remaining problem of reparations as the Dawes Plan had left uncertain the total amount payable.
• French were willing to compromise.
• Committee chaired by an American banker, Owen Young, decided to reduce reparations from £6,600 million to £2,000 million, to be paid over the next 59 years.
• Welcomed in Germany.

• Death of Stresemann in October 1929
• Wall Street Crash in October 1929 developed into the great depression.
• 1932 - over six million unemployed in Germany.
• To help, Britain and France released Germany from most of her remaining reparation payments at Lausanne Conference (1932).
• But, in January 1933 Hitler became German Chancellor and after that, international tension mounted.