Date
1-16-2025
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree
Master of Arts in History - Thesis (MA)
Chair
Alan C. York
Keywords
Washington Conference, disarmament, international relations, naval conference, interwar, Hughes, U.S. Navy, naval policy, Harding
Disciplines
History
Recommended Citation
Peterson, Tucker T., "Sinking Ships and International Relations: The Washington Conference and America's Relations with Britain and Japan" (2025). Masters Theses. 1261.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/1261
Abstract
Following World War I, the diplomatic relationships between the United States, Great Britain, and Japan were being strained to a breaking point and the risk of armed conflict was increasing. To stave off a naval arms race and war in the Pacific, U.S. President Warren G. Harding called for a conference to discuss disarmament and questions regarding the “Far East.” The Washington Conference was held from November 12, 1921, to February 6, 1922, and delegates from nine different nations attended. Through the lenses of naval and diplomatic history, this study explores the ascendancy of the U.S. Navy, the Washington Conference, and how the conference influenced the relationships between the U.S., Great Britain, and Japan. The conference was successful in negotiating naval arms limitations and averting armed conflict in the Pacific. However, the Washington Conference failed to establish equality in arms limitation between East and West and that, combined with growing anti-Japanese sentiment in America, prevented an enduring peace with Japan.