U.S and the Search for World Peace After 1918

Isolationism, Interventionism and World War II

May 20, 2009

After World War I, the U.S adopted a policy of Isolationism. However, it remained committed to the search for world peace through disarmament. Both policies failed.

America entered the First World War with a mission to make the world “safe for democracy.” After this war, however, public opinion turned against further intervention in the affairs of other nations. This generated a debate between those in favor of intervention in world affairs (interventionists) and those opposed to it (isolationists). Though isolationism carried the day, the U.S did not completely abandon interventionism because of America’s strategic interests around the world.

President Woodrow Wilson and the League of Nations

After the First World War, U.S President Woodrow Wilson became the main architect of the League of Nations. “Without his support,” says Lawrence Ziring, “the idea of a league would not have gone beyond the point of intellectual germination.” The entire League system was founded on President Wilson’s vision for a just peace. The Allied powers also accepted Wilson’s demands that the Covenant of the League be made an integral part of the Versailles Treaty.

Despite President Wilson’s role in reshaping the world, the U.S. Senate refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles thus rejecting American membership of the League. In creating the League, President Wilson had advocated for the reduction of arms to reduce the possibility of war. The League was therefore provided with a Disarmament Commission. This experiment began with Germany whose army was reduced to 100.000 men. Germany was also restricted from keeping tanks and the Rhineland was demilitarized.

America’s commitment to German Economic Recovery

America also remained conscious of the threat that a weak Germany posed not only to European security but to world peace as a whole. By America’s calculations, a strong Germany would constitute both an economic partner and also a democratic ally in Europe. This was also in line with the U.S dream of making the world safe for democracy. The rapid collapse of the German mark in the early 1920s reminded America of the need to act fast.

To rescue Germany from total collapse, the U.S. and Britain helped to introduce a new German currency. America invested heavily in Germany to help revive German industry. In 1924, the U.S. led efforts to quantify German reparations through the Dawes Plan. Still with American assistance, the Young Plan of 1930 fixed a limit for German reparations and provided Germany with $300 million in aid. With this economic assistance, German industrial and economic base regained strength.

The U.S and Disarmament

Despite isolationism, the U.S made great contributions towards disarmament. This was particularly inspired by Japanese expansionist designs in the Far East. President Warren G. Harding therefore dragged Japan into the Washington Naval Conference of 1921-22 involving the five most important naval powers – Britain, U.S., Japan, France and Italy. At this conference, the U.S proposed a ten year holiday in the construction of warships.

Two treaties were signed at the Washington Naval Conference. The first treaty fixed the tonnage of warships among the naval powers at 5:5:3 for Britain, U.S. and Japan respectively, and 1.67 for France and Italy. The second treaty outlawed the use of poisoned gas in warfare and restricted the use of submarines. All the powers concerned agreed to pursue an “Open Door” policy in China to avoid economic and military confrontation.

The five naval powers met again in London in 1930. At the London Naval conference, they agreed to sign a treaty that extended the existing holiday in capital ships until 1936. The total tonnage of the three principal powers in cruisers and destroyers was also fixed. At this conference, non-capital ships (smaller warships and submarines) were introduced and a ratio of 10:10:7 was reached for Britain, U.S and Japan respectively.

The Great Depression of 1929 provided the U.S. with a good excuse to lobby for the reduction of arms at the Geneva Disarmament Conference of 1932-33 on grounds that it was a costly venture. Adolf Hitler, however, saw it the other way, arguing that rearmament was a way to revive the German economy which had been ravaged by reparations under the Versailles Treaty.

Hitler therefore made it clear that he meant to undo the terms of the Versailles Treaty by achieving arms parity with other nations. “Either Germany becomes a great power or there must be no Germany,” the Nazi leader declared. France feared for her security and showed reluctance to disarm. In the Far East Japan was busy carving out its co-prosperity sphere beginning with the attack on Manchuria in 1931.

Isolationism came to its final end when the fascist alliance of Hitler, Mussolini and Tojo had constituted enough threat to the security of the U.S. Like in World war I, the U.S. was again dragged into World War II to rid the world of tyranny. Since 1945 when this war ended, world peace still remains elusive. New threats such as terrorism have grown in scope and strength. It still remains to be seen how the world can grapple with these growing challenges.

Calvocoressi, Peter and guy Wint. Total War: Causes and Courses of the Second World War, 1972.

Perry, Marvin et al. Western Civilization, Ideas, Politics and Society Vol. 11 1989.

Ziring, Lawrence, Robert E.Riggs, Jack C. Plano. The United Nations: International Organization and World politics, 2005.

The copyright of the article U.S and the Search for World Peace After 1918 in Modern US History is owned by Tongkeh Joseph Fowale. Permission to republish U.S and the Search for World Peace After 1918 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.