Diplomatic revolution and perceived security

The first and second Treaties of Versailles and the Convention of Westminster illustrate increasingly active and professional diplomacy. An arrangement cannot be stable when one side believes it has loaded the balance in its own favour. Yet parties that each feel secure may still negotiate because concessions no longer seem likely to expose a fatal weakness. Perceived strength can therefore make compromise possible, while insecurity may encourage dangerous choices. Japan before the Pacific War supplies the comparison: limited infrastructure and industry made the country feel strategically weaker than its immediate military position suggested.