Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 34:53-35:48

Could America force Britain to accept the treaty terms?

American financial leverage after the First World War was weaker and less centralized than it became after the Second, leaving Britain more room to reject an unacceptable settlement.

Defence SpendingNaval DiplomacyRoyal NavyUS NavyWashington Naval Treaty
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Question

Could the United States use its economic leverage to force Britain to accept a treaty without a separate battlecruiser category?

Short answer

Not reliably; post-First World War leverage was less centralized, and a British walkout would likely take France, Japan, and Italy with it and leave Congress facing the naval spending it wanted to avoid.

Notes

Washington could pressure Britain, but it could not assume that pressure would preserve the conference. Britain could argue publicly that the proposed settlement made imperial defence impossible. If London left, the other major naval powers would probably leave as well, destroying the agreement rather than isolating Britain. That outcome would return the cost of an open naval competition to a Congress reluctant to fund it.