Book contents
- The New Cambridge History of American Foreign Relations
- Series page
- The New Cambridge History of American Foreign Relations
- Copyright page
- Contents
- List of Maps
- General Editor’s Introduction
- Preface
- 1 The Age of European Domination
- 2 The Great War and American Neutrality
- 3 The United States at War
- 4 The Versailles Peace
- 5 The 1920s – The Security Aspect
- 6 The 1920s – The Economic Aspect
- 7 The 1920s – The Cultural Aspect
- 8 The Collapse of International Order
- 9 Totalitarianism and the Survival of Democracy
- 10 The Emergence of Geopolitics
- 11 The Road to Pearl Harbor
- 12 The Global Conflict
- Bibliographic Essay
- Index
5 - The 1920s – The Security Aspect
Disarmament
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2013
Book contents
- The New Cambridge History of American Foreign Relations
- Series page
- The New Cambridge History of American Foreign Relations
- Copyright page
- Contents
- List of Maps
- General Editor’s Introduction
- Preface
- 1 The Age of European Domination
- 2 The Great War and American Neutrality
- 3 The United States at War
- 4 The Versailles Peace
- 5 The 1920s – The Security Aspect
- 6 The 1920s – The Economic Aspect
- 7 The 1920s – The Cultural Aspect
- 8 The Collapse of International Order
- 9 Totalitarianism and the Survival of Democracy
- 10 The Emergence of Geopolitics
- 11 The Road to Pearl Harbor
- 12 The Global Conflict
- Bibliographic Essay
- Index
Summary
The postwar world began in 1919, with the signing of the Versailles peace treaty. This chapter explores aspects of the international system of the 1920s and the role played by the United States in its evolution and preservation. First of all, despite the confusion of the immediate postwar years, the major powers showed remarkable readiness to undertake programs of disarmament. Disarmament could not be separated from other questions of Asian-Pacific security, in particular the future of the Anglo-Japanese alliance and the fortification of the powers' bases in the Pacific Ocean. The peace of the 1920s was built on more than merely disarmament agreements. It was sustained through various other arrangements, including the League of Nations, the Locarno Conference treaties in Europe, and the Washington Conference treaties for Asia. In the meantime, in Europe the postwar peace remained fragile in the immediate aftermath of the Versailles conference.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The New Cambridge History of American Foreign Relations , pp. 74 - 88Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2013