series of conferences were held to eliminate threats of war. In , representatives of the chief European powers met at Locarno, a Swiss town, where Germany and France agreed to respect the Rhine frontiers, as established in the Versailles treaty. The next agreement widely appreciated was the Kellogg– Briand Pact of . Though the US did not become a member of the League of Nations, it participated in this meet.
The outcome of this pact was the pledge of all nations of the world to renounce war as “an instrument of national policy”. But the League of Nations was not strong enough to enforce these agreements when some countries defied them. Kellogg–Briand Pact When Hitler came to power in , a Disarmament Conference was organised by the League of Nations at Geneva. The issue was the German rearmament plan on a par with France.
The French refused to agree to this proposal, while Britain was willing to concede Germany’s demand. Hitler’s response to French refusal was withdrawal of Germany from the conference and from the League of Nations. A plebiscite in Germany showed enormous support in favour of Hitler’s step. Encouraged, in March , Hitler announced Germany’s intention of building up an army by conscription to over half a million men.
This was the first breach of the Treaty of Versailles. The League of Nations attended by Britain, France and Italy condemned Germany’s action but took no further steps. Britain even went to the extent of negotiating a naval agreement. According to this agreement, Germany could build up to per cent of Britain’s naval strength.
Disarmament Conference, Geneva Italy invaded Ethiopia in . Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia appealed to the League of Nations, but received no help. (c) Economic Depression of 1930s The most important economic cause of World War II was the Great Depression. The Depression intensified economic nationalism.
Hit by the problems of unemployment and business stagnation, governments resorted to high tariffs to preserve the home market for consumption of their home products. This resulted in an expansionist policy leading to