Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:53:40-2:53:58

Naval treaties enabled change without planning British succession

Interwar limits helped create conditions in which the United States became the leading naval power, but Britain did not negotiate them as a planned transfer of primacy.

Interwar Naval PolicyRoyal NavySea PowerUS NavyWashington Naval Treaty
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Question

Were the interwar naval treaties designed to let the United States become the leading global naval power without an Anglo-American war?

Short answer

No; they helped create that outcome, but Britain did not enter the agreements intending to hand naval primacy to the United States.

Notes

This interpretation separates the treaties' eventual effects from their intended purpose. Britain was content to remain the major naval power and was not planning to hand that position to another country. The agreements nevertheless helped facilitate later American primacy. That outcome is presented as a consequence of the treaties, rather than their original design.