Geneva Disarmament Conference
The Geneva Disarmament Conference, convened in 1932, was a pivotal international effort aimed at reducing armaments in the aftermath of World War I. Organized by the League of Nations, the conference sought to prevent future conflicts by fostering agreements on arms limitation among fifty-nine nations, including notable absentees like the Soviet Union and the United States. Despite initial enthusiasm, the conference faced significant challenges due to rising geopolitical tensions, notably Japan's invasion of Manchuria and fears of German rearmament. French delegates were particularly concerned about security against Germany, while the U.S. proposed substantial reductions in military forces and the abolition of certain weapons. However, diverging national interests, especially regarding security guarantees, hampered progress. Ultimately, the conference ended without consensus, significantly contributing to the rearmament of Germany and setting the stage for escalating conflicts leading to World War II. The fallout from this disarmament effort underscores the complexities of international diplomacy and the difficulties of achieving collective security in a fragmented global landscape.
Geneva Disarmament Conference
The Event International gathering to discuss disarmament or arms limitation
Also known as World Disarmament Conference; Conference for the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments
Dates 1932-1934
Place Geneva, Switzerland
The Geneva Disarmament Conference was the largest international conference ever held up to that time. Irreconcilable security interests among the many conference delegations resulted in the lack of an arms agreement.
After World War I, world leaders sought to reduce the number of available armaments to avoid another catastrophic war. They successfully negotiated naval treaties at the Washington Naval Conference in 1921-1922 and the London Naval Conference in 1930. The high cost of arms races and the economic difficulties of the Great Depression greatly contributed to the call for arms reductions. President Herbert Hoover strongly supported the idea of a disarmament conference for economic reasons.
Planning for the Geneva Disarmament Conference, or World Disarmament Conference, began in 1926. In January, 1931, the League of Nations summoned the conference to begin in a year. The conference opened at Geneva on February 2, 1932, and was formally known as the Conference for the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments. The conference began under the chairmanship of former British foreign secretary Arthur Henderson. At the conference, delegations from fifty-nine countries, including non-League of Nations members the United States and the Soviet Union, attempted to form agreements for arms reductions. The U.S. delegation was led by Norman Davis and included Hugh S. Gibson, Senator Claude Swanson, and Hugh Wilson.
The conference quickly ran into difficulties. The Japanese invasion of Manchuria was a major problem for the League of Nations and collective security. Moreover, the European powers were not in the mood for arms agreements. France, the strongest military power on the continent, feared German rearmament. Germany had been placed under arms restrictions by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. French delegates demanded security against Germany before agreeing to an arms-limitation treaty. France sought American and British commitments to the defense of Europe. Great Britain, on the other hand, wanted French disarmament and an American commitment to the defense of Europe.
The United States made several proposals at Geneva. In June, 1932, President Hoover suggested a one-third reduction in all armies and battle fleets. He also urged the abolition of large mobile guns, tanks, and chemical weapons and the prohibition of aerial bombardment. However, the American delegation hesitated on the idea of committing the United States to any permanent verification procedures. Then, in May, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed the abolition of modern offensive weapons. He also indicated that the United States was willing to consult with other nations in a crisis that might lead to war. However, the U.S. Senate opposed dropping U.S. neutrality for international cooperation.
Meanwhile, the German delegation argued that if the other powers did not disarm to the German level, then Germany had the right to rearm without restrictions. Talks quickly came to a standstill, and the conference was adjourned from June to October, 1933.
In the autumn, Adolf Hitler demanded the immediate right to build weapons prohibited by the Treaty of Versailles and to increase the size of the German army. After strong French objections, on October 14, 1933, Hitler withdrew Germany from the World Disarmament Conference, and one week later, he announced that Germany was withdrawing from the League of Nations. The Geneva Conference dragged into 1934 without any evident results. The conference had failed. Proposal after proposal was unsuccessful because of irreconcilable security interests.
Impact
The failure of the Geneva Conference led to German rearmament. Germany was secretly rearming, and in March, 1935, Germany announced openly that it would rearm. Germany created an air force and initiated conscription to create an army of one-half million men. Germany was challenging the League of Nations and the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles. Aggressive German actions led to the remilitarization of the Rhineland in 1936. A militarily powerful Germany annexed Austria and the Sudetenland in 1938 and took further aggressive actions that led to the outbreak of World War II in Europe in 1939.
Bibliography
Adamthwaite, Anthony. Grandeur and Misery: France’s Bid for Power in Europe, 1914-1940. London: Arnold, 1995.
Bennett, Edward W. German Rearmament and the West, 1932-1933. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1979.
Marks, Sally. The Illusion of Peace: International Relations in Europe, 1918-1933. London: Macmillan, 1976.
Offner, Arnold A. The Origins of the Second World War: American Foreign Policy and World Politics, 1917-1941. 2d ed. Malabar, Fla.: Robert E. Krieger, 1986.
Steiner, Zara. The Lights That Failed: European International History, 1919-1933. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.