Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:12:29-2:13:20

What a later Washington Naval Treaty might have changed

Naval arms limitation was useful, though a treaty delayed to 1925 could have changed the later diplomatic sequence.

Imperial Japanese NavyInterwar PeriodLondon Naval TreatyNaval Arms ControlWashington Naval Treaty
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Question

Was the Washington Naval Treaty a good development for world history?

Short answer

Arms limitation was useful, but delaying the treaty until about 1925 might have produced a more favourable later diplomatic sequence.

Notes

The Washington system is accepted in principle, though a later agreement might have produced a better sequence. A 1925 Washington settlement would have arrived after more ships and infrastructure decisions had already been made and might have pushed the London negotiations into the early 1930s. That altered timing could have changed Japan's decision about remaining within the treaty framework and therefore affected the naval background to the Second World War.