International Relations 1919-1933

People involved:

• Aristotle Briand: French Foreign Minister from1925 to 1932.
• Gustav Stresmann: German Foreign Minister.
• Ramsey MacDonald: British Prime Minister.
• Austen Chamberlain: British foreign Minister
• Mr. Kellog: US Secretary of State.
• Adolf Hitler: Chancellor of Germany from 1933.

International relations during the Inter-war period can be divided into 2 phases:

1. 1919-1933 There was a positive chance that world peace could be maintained despite the Manchurian Crisis (1931)
2. 1933-1939 Once Hitler was firmly in control there seemed little chance of preventing war.

The cut off point between the two is when Hitler came to power in Germany in January 1933.

Phase One

Problems arose due to the Treaty of Versailles.

The League of Nations struggled to sort out problems.

• Italy seized Fiume and Corfu.

The setting of reparations was a major point of contention between France, Britain and Germany.

• The figure was set at £6,600 million in 1921.
• Genoa Conference (1922) tried to ease tension between France and Germany but France insisted that Germany had to make the payments. Germany and Russia withdrew from the Conference and signed the Treaty of Rapallo.
• French occupied the Ruhr (1923) as Germany had defaulted on reparation payments as the USA was putting pressure on the Allied nations to pay their war debt.

As a result of the Ruhr occupation, Britain saw moderation and reconciliation as the best way forward to ensure security. There was the belief that an economically healthy Germany would be good for the stability of Europe.

France was preoccupied with the need to limit German aggression.

• Tried to keep Germany economically and militarily weak.
• Built up alliances to surround and contain Germany - Poland (1921), Czechoslovakia (1924), Rumania (1926) and Yugoslavia (1927).
• From 1924-9 France did extend a hand of reconciliation.

Change of political leadership eased tension and improved international relations. New leaders were keen to improve the situation and eager for reconciliation.

• France: Edouard Herriot and Aristotle Briand - French Foreign Minister in 11 successive Governments from 1925-32.
• Britain: Ramsay Mac Donald became Prime Minister.
• Germany: Gustav Stresemann became Foreign Minister.

• Germany, France Britain and USA met. German reparation payments eased. USA gave Germany loans. International tension relaxed.

Locarno Treaty (1925)

• Guaranteed the borders in Western Europe between Belgium, France and Germany fixed at Versailles.
• Seemed to remove French suspicion of Germany.
• Greeted with wild enthusiasm all over Europe.
• No guarantees offered about Eastern borders.
• Period 1924-9 known as Locarno Honeymoon period where Stresemann regularly met Briand and the British Foreign Minister, Austen Chamberlain.

• Germany was now bound by the moral obligations of the Covenant.

• 65 nations signed an agreement to renounce war.
• Sounded impressive but there were no sanctions of it were broken. E.g. Japan signed it and broke it in 1931 but no action was taken.

Young Plan (1929)

• Young was an American banker.
• Reduced German reparation payments to a 'manageable' £2,000 million as French were willing to compromise.
• Plan welcomed in Germany.

Throughout this period, "all seemed fair for a peaceful future." However, this was dependent upon economic well being. When the economic prosperity evaporated, the past suspicions were to resurface. (Lowe, 1986.)

• Gustav Stresmann died.
• Wall Street Crash - USA began to call in overseas loans.
• Beginnings of World Economic Depression.

Economic Depression caused tension as nations competed for trade.

• Encourages people to turn to extreme political parties.
• Largest political party in German Reichstag is the Nazis.

• Britain and France released Germany from most of the reparation payments.

• Tried to scale down armaments - as in Covenant of the League of Nations.
• Germany was the only state to have disarmed.
• No progress had been made during the Honeymoon period.

• Hitler becomes Chancellor in Germany.
• Hitler knew that Britain and Italy sympathised with Germany.
• French were concerned at the growing support for and philosophy of the Nazis in Germany. Refused to disarm to German level or allow the Germans to rearm to theirs.
• Germany is withdrawn from the Disarmament Conference in October 1933.
• Germany left the League of Nations.

Economic problems caused the Locarno spirit to evaporate. New way forward seemed like every country for itself.