THE İMPORTANT STEP FOR İN DİSARMENT THE PERİOD OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR: WASHİNGTON SEA CONFERENCE 1921-1922
İKİ DÜNYA SAVAŞI ARASI DÖNEMDE SİLAHSIZLANMA YOLUNDA ÖNEMLİ BİR ADIM: WASHİNGTON DENİZ KONFERANSI 1921-1922

Author : Mustafa ÖZYÜREK
Number of pages : 391-401

Abstract

The Washington Naval Conference was the result of various developments emerged in Far East and Pacific while the First World War was going on and after the end of it. While the First World War was continuing, by benefiting from the fact that great powers engaged with the war, Japan captured the certain parts of the Far East and it attained political and economic influence particularly on China. On exerting this influence, Japan was taking heart from a treaty of alliance signed with England in 1902. Japan’s this expansionist policy led to the fast growing armament rivalry between USA and Japan in Pacific after USA involved into the war in 1917 and this brought considerable burden to the economies of the both parties. Through the suggestion of USA, by holding a conference in Washington that major countries would attend, it was aimed at both putting an end to armament rivalry and clearing up the problems in Far East. At the Washington Naval Conference held between 12 November 1921 and 6 February 1922, two distinct issues; namely “the Restriction of Naval Weapons” and “the Matter of Far East Concerning China” were debated. These issues brought up in different sessions in the manner of one inside the other. While USA, England, France, Italy and Japan participated to the negotiations of the naval weapon detections; USA, England, China, France, Belgium, Italy, Japan, Portuguese and the Netherland attended to the negotiations dealing with the matter of Far East. Thus, Anglo-Japanese Alliance lasting for four years since 1902 was concluded by “Four- Power Treaty” and by the treaty gone down in history as “Nine-Power Treaty” territorial and administrative integrity of China were recognized by other countries and it was given as a commitment that every foreign country which had interest in Asia would have equal economic and commercial right. By the signing of “the Washington Naval Conference” on 6 February 1922, the number and the ratio of the navy vessels and aircraft carriers were determined.

Keywords

Far Eastern, Pasific, Armament, Rivalry, Prestige

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