The discussion moves beyond warship design to ask how the post-1918 settlement contributed to the wider war. Versailles is treated as a source of German resentment, while the Washington Naval Treaty helps draw Japan and, to a lesser extent, Italy into the conflict. Together, those pressures explain how a war centred on Germany could expand into a world war. Naval arms control was part of the political order created after World War I.
Notable Point · 22:43-23:18
Versailles, Washington, and the making of a world war
The two treaties have different destabilising roles: Versailles fuels German revisionism, while Washington helps draw Japan and Italy into the wider conflict.