The Kellogg Briand Pact

Rough Draft

The Kellogg-Briand Pact was an agreement to outlaw war signed on August 27, 1928. It was named Pact of Paris, for the city where it was signed, the pact was one of many international efforts to prevent another conflict for many nations going into another World War. The events that led up to the series of naval conferences that began in Washington 1921 focused on cooperation with the League of Nations and the newly formed World Court. The United States were peace advocates in the wake of World War I and made significant efforts to guarantee the nation would not be drawn into another war. French involvement in the Kellogg Briand Pact was important in the peace talks, France faced continuing insecurity from its German neighbor and sought alliances to shore up its defenses. The first major test of the pact in 1931 when the Mukden Incident led to the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, this also led to the Soviets ignoring the pact. Its legacy remains as a statement of the idealism expressed by advocates for peace in the interwar period. Even with the pact failing Frank Kellogg earned the Nobel Peace Prize in 1929 for his efforts on the Peace Pact with the other nations.

The United States were peace advocates in the wake of the war. Private citizens of the United States and Government officials mad a very big effort to guarantee the United States would not be drawn into another war. The United States held a series of naval conferences that began in Washington in 1921. These conferences in Washington focused on cooperation with the League Of Nations and the World Court. Some private citizens such as Nicholas Murray Butler and James T. Shotwell also made significant efforts to guarantee that the nation would not be drawn into another war. Both men were associated with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, this company was dedicated to promoting internationalism. This was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1910. French involvement in the Kellogg Briand Pact was important in the peace talks. The minister of Foreign Affairs for France Proposed a peace pact between the United States and France to outlaw war between the two nations. After World War I France faced continuing insecurity from its German neighbor and sought alliances to shore up its defenses. Briand, the Secretary of State for the United States was less eager than Aristide Briand to reach a bilateral arrangement. France and the United States took the lead initiative and invited all nations to join the two in outlawing war. During negotiations all nations agreed on two clauses. The first clause outlawed war as a national policy. The second clause called for signatories to settle their disputes by peaceful means. On August 27, 1928 fifteen nations signed the pact at Paris. The nations who signed the pact include France, the United States, the United kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Poland, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Italy, and Japan. Eventually forty-seven more nations joined the pact and