Britain and the Geneva Disarmament Conference (Studies in Military & Strategic History)
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Published: March 19, 2003
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 256
ISBN-13: 9780333968505
Subjects: Arms negotiation & control; British & Irish history: postwar, from c 1945 -; International relations; Peace studies; Political Science; History - Military / War; Politics/International Relations; British Isles; United Kingdom, Great Britain; International Relations - Diplomacy; Military - World War II; Political History; Political Science / History & Theory; History & Theory - General; (1932-1934 :; 1910-1936; Conference for the Reduction a; Conference for the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments; Congresses; Disarmament; Foreign relations; Geneva, Switzerland); Great Britain
Description: "Britain's role at the Geneva Disarmament Conference has traditionally been seen as that of 'honest broker', mediating between the conflicting demands of Germany, who sought release from the disarmament restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles, and France who feared a resurgent Germany. Britain maintained that she had already disarmed to the lowest level compatible with her own perceived security needs, and invited other powers to follow her example.

This analysis will show that the traditional interpretation of British policy at the Conference needs to be drastically revised. Whilst publicly paying lip-service to international disarmament, the British Government privately followed policies designed to improve Britain's position relative to other major powers, seeking to increase, rather than decrease, the level of her armaments.

Thus, Britain must bear a far larger share of responsibility for the failure of the Conference than has hitherto been assumed."--BOOK JACKET.