A hundred years ago, Washington was the setting for a major international conference called to arrest an emerging competition in naval weaponry and to settle outstanding disputes threatening the peace of Asia. The Washington Conference began with high drama on Saturday, November 12, 1921. The American Secretary of State Charles Evan Hughes took center stage in leading the opening session. His speech stunned those in the conference hall and captured the attention of public opinion around the world. Hughes demanded nothing less than an immediate stop to the competition in the building of the latest generation of capital ships—that is, the most powerfully armed, large surface warships. His proposal spelled out in detail the names of the ships whose construction would be stopped and of older battleships to be scrapped. The secretary of state proclaimed the aim of America’s plan: “Preparation for offensive naval war will stop now.”
To mark the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Washington Conference, Professor Maurer will examine this landmark arms control treaty and its aftermath. What motivated the leaders of the great powers to come to Washington for an international conference? What did the conference achieve? Why did the interwar arms control regime inaugurated at Washington break down only a decade later in the 1930s? What can we take away from the history of naval arms control between the world wars for understanding international politics and the great power competitions of our own time? These questions will form the basis for the lecture.