The Kellogg-Briand Pact
On December 7, 1917, the United States officially declared war on Austria-Hungary, formally marking their entry into the long and destructive First World War. Despite the United States’ delayed involvement in the war, over 320,000 American soldiers were still wounded or killed. Following the United States’ participation in World War I, a definitive shift in foreign policy drew the country to a renewed period of illusory security through isolationism. Less than 12 years later, on October 5, 1929, the stock market experienced a devastating crash that led to years of turmoil and unemployment. In addition to the isolationism that came out of the First World War, the succeeding economic depression of the 1930s encouraged Americans to focus even
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While during this time period there had always been an existing presence of pacifists throughout the world, the Kellogg-Briand pact was one of the first attempts at global pacifism, in which war was “renounced...as an instrument of national policy…”. Although war was arguably never part of any nation’s legitimate “national policy”, it was frightening to America that the potential of war was always on the table. Negative feelings following the end of war did not simply go away when peace treaties were signed. Out of the devastations of the Great War came a renewed desire for a period of isolation and peace. Regardless of how unrealistic it may have been, people were so traumatically scarred from the horrors for the First World War that they did not want war to even be considered an option. “Leave me alone” was America’s brand new policy. Considering the impracticable nature of the of the Kellogg-Briand pact’s goal of global pacificity, it came as no surprise to many that as it was passed many would ultimately deem the agreement, “largely meaningless”. Accepted and signed by representatives of nearly all of the world’s nations, the pact was only backed by “the good faith of the signers”. However, in spite of the little actual effect that it had on diplomatic regulation, the pact was yet another symbol of the United States’ growing preference towards isolationism. Whether or not the other participating nations would choose to honor the pact was uncertain, but avoidance of war was on the top of the new isolationist U.S. list of priorities - a list that would continue to be developed as the Great Depression followed in the years to
While during this time period there had always been an existing presence of pacifists throughout the world, the Kellogg-Briand pact was one of the first attempts at global pacifism, in which war was “renounced...as an instrument of national policy…”. Although war was arguably never part of any nation’s legitimate “national policy”, it was frightening to America that the potential of war was always on the table. Negative feelings following the end of war did not simply go away when peace treaties were signed. Out of the devastations of the Great War came a renewed desire for a period of isolation and peace. Regardless of how unrealistic it may have been, people were so traumatically scarred from the horrors for the First World War that they did not want war to even be considered an option. “Leave me alone” was America’s brand new policy. Considering the impracticable nature of the of the Kellogg-Briand pact’s goal of global pacificity, it came as no surprise to many that as it was passed many would ultimately deem the agreement, “largely meaningless”. Accepted and signed by representatives of nearly all of the world’s nations, the pact was only backed by “the good faith of the signers”. However, in spite of the little actual effect that it had on diplomatic regulation, the pact was yet another symbol of the United States’ growing preference towards isolationism. Whether or not the other participating nations would choose to honor the pact was uncertain, but avoidance of war was on the top of the new isolationist U.S. list of priorities - a list that would continue to be developed as the Great Depression followed in the years to