To What Extent did the Locarno Pact Achieve German Aims?

International Baccalaureate History

Ismar Hota

Candidate Number:

A. Plan of Investigation

1.) Subject of investigation - To What Extent did the Locarno Pact Achieve German aims?

2.) Methods of investigation

a.) I am planning to extract much of the evidence from historical books that analyze the Locarno pact.

b.) I will also conduct internet searches for relevant and reliable articles and I will pay careful attention on those focusing on the discussion of achievement of German aims.

c.) I also plan to look for primary sources that will explain what was the general feeling of the public of the Locarno pact in Germany.

e.) I plan to investigate the backgrounds of persons directly involved in the Locarno Pact. I will pay special attention to the Gustav Stresemann the man who signed the Locarno pact for Germany.

After conducting this investigation and reviewing these sources i will come to a conclusion to what extent did Germany achieve its aims. This conclusion will be based on relevant and carefully selected evidence.

B. Summary of Evidence

1.) Background

Locarno pact – Locarno is located in Switzerland. It is a small resort. During the pact is where the outlines of basic structures became concrete agreement in the October 1925.the pact was signed by Germany together with France, Belgium, Britain and Italy. The main focus was the agreement of non aggression and no adjustments to the countries borders between Germany France and Belgium (Best et el 50).

2.) Preparations – the Locarno pact was signed during the time of German History known as the Stresemann era(1923-9). This time period is considered the time of recovery. During these years Germany went through t the period of time that is referred to as the 'golden age of Weimar Republic'. The man responsible for this is Gustav Stresemann who was the Chancellor for a few months in 1923 and then later on the prime minister until 1929. While serving as a Chancellor the government took action to stop the inflation by issuing the new currency Rentenmark. During this time Germany agreed to Dawes Plan with the USA to prevent financial collapses in the future by spreading out the reparations payments according to Germany's ability to pay. During this time investment returned to Germany. During his time as the Foreign minister after German economy started recovering Mr. Stresemann wanted to improve Germany's position in Europe and did so by seeking cooperating and diplomacy rather than revenge. This brought Germany to Locarno Pact (Lee 15).

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3.) What did Locarno Pact Bring? – After being chosen for a foreign minister of Germany shortly after that the Locarno Pact was signed. It brought both pro and cons to Germany. The Republic was now more politically stable. The party coalitions were kept together and the Nazi party performed badly in the Reichstag elections of 1924 winning 32 and only holding 12 seats by 1928. The Communists also recorded a decline but their numbers were significantly higher in 1924 with 62 seats. The Social Democrats had an increasing support during these years, and it seemed that Weimar Republic was safe. The diplomatic isolation that was hurting Germany stopped with the Locarno pact and Germany joined the League of Nations by 1926 which let them soon to become a great power once again. Although the Locarno pact did bring stability to Germany it also brought instability in the region. The issue of the arbitration of Poland was also one of the things dealt with at the Locarno and with Germany having interests in Poland it left her dissatisfies. The Locarno Pact did bring about the non aggression between France and Germany it didn’t manage to settle the antagonism between the people. Even though the British spokesman stated, “the Great War ended in November 1918. The Great peace didn’t begin until October 1925”(Best et al, 50). Historians today refer to the Locarno pact as the illusion of the interwar years security. Even though The Locarno pact functioned at its start by the 1929 when the great depression hit it was quickly wrecked and forgotten (Lee2 77)

C. Evaluation of Sources

1. Best, Antony, Jussi M. Hanhimäki, Joseph A. Maiolo, and Kirsten E. Schulze.

International History of the Twentieth Century and Beyond. New York: Routledge, 2008. Print. (Best at el, 50-54)

This is a book that shows a global history of the twentieth century. It is a valuable source because it was written by four prominent international historians. Antony Best is Senior lecturer in International History at London School of Economics. His main focus is the relationship between Anglo-Japanese relations. Jussi M. Hanhimäki is a professor of International History and Politics at the Graduate institute of International Studies in Geneva. He is also a distinguish professor at the Finish Tampere University. He is best known for his book The Cold War: A History in Documents. Joseph A. Maiolo is a senior Lecturer in International History in the Department of War studies at King’s College London and currently working on study of global arms race. Kirsten E. Schulze is Senior lecturer in International History at London School of Economics. She has been interested mostly in the Middle East and issues of Northern Ireland. This well rounded book between pages 50-54 has the purpose to educate and show to what extent German aims have been achieved with it. The source is very useful because not only does it provide with information but also suggests recommended readings for further expanding of knowledge on the subject. The limitation of this source is that all of the authors are European states who were with the allies and their interpretations could be bias.

2. An extract from a speech made by Stresemann in 1925, in which he defended his signing of the Locarno Pact against critics within Germany (Lee 15).

This is primary source. It is a speech by Stresemann from 1925 in Germany. The source is useful because it shows how Stresemann felt after the signing of the Locarno pact. The source also shows that there was much criticism going on from the German public about Locarno pact. The purpose of the source is for Mr. Stresemann to defend himself and German dignity from the public. However the limitation of this source is the fact that Mr. Stresemann is an individual who wants Germany to progress and become a Great power once again and he sees that the only way for this to happen is if Germany starts negotiating with its neighbors and allies but this view isn’t the view of the German public who are still driven by their emotions and sorrow after losing WWI.

D. Analysis

The Locarno pact which was signed in 1925 promoted continental stability. It determined the borders between Germany, France and Belgium and settled the issues of the demilitarization of Rhineland. It was also responsible for the arbitration of Poland and it promised the better security within Central Europe. At the time this was seen as a significant turning point in the international affairs. With it Germany managed to achieve many things like restarting diplomacy and ending the period of isolation. However it had strong criticism by the German nationalists who felt that it was a mistake and felt bitter about the German eastern border. Germany had a strong interest in Central Europe and this meant that with the new borders all they could do now is try and deal with them using diplomacy (Best at el 50).

Due to Locarno pact and with the stability back in Germany even if only temporarily another achieved aim for Germany was ending of strict payments for war reparations. Instead German economy started blossoming once again and the economic cooperation with French brought to reconstruction and recovery. Even though the economy was achieving progress the strong nationalism between France and Germany even with the Locarno pact prevented for the antagonism between the two nations to be eradicated and this can be viewed as a failure of the diplomacy as we know that 15 years after this the two countries were at war once again (Lee 26).

This new German behavior that has suddenly changed from militaristic to rather diplomatic is the works of German foreign minister Gustav Stresemann who served the longest mandate in the German history. Between 1923 and 1929 he was the man responsible for bringing social and economic stability to Germany. When he came to power he was the chancellor at what historians characterize is the worst era in German history as the country was in total chaos. This man was able to put the pieces together, fight the criticism and push restart button. Because of him and the Locarno Pact Germany was re-recognized around the world again and it became a great power once again and this was formally acknowledged when Germany joined the League of nations. Mr. Stresemann is also a winner of Nobel piece prize and with such reputation many wonder what would have Germany been like had he stayed in power for longer. Unfortunately he died in 1929(Gustav Stresemann).

His death a tragedy already for Germany wasn’t the only thing that worsened the German situation. The Great depression that hit the world in the 1929 and continued into 1930 quickly removed the works of Gustav Stresemann and The Locarno pact from the center of attention. Germany sank quickly back into economic and social catastrophe. Together with all of its problems and lacking of a charismatic leader Germany’s achieved aims were forgotten and the rise of the right-wingers such as Nazi’s was a direct outcome of the failure to proceed with the Locarno Pact and its ideas that Mr. Stresemann envisioned (Best at al 54).

E. Conclusion

Locarno pact can be characterized as a great tool that Germany used to bring back stability both economic and social. Although it didn’t last very long due to the Great depression and following that the WWII it can be seen as a great buffer period that Germany used to become a super power once again and she truly achieved these aims. Locarno pact also had an impact on the Nazi party in Germany that came out of its ashes like a phoenix once the it was clear that the Locarno pact failed or was outdated.

F. List of Sources (see below)

WORD COUNT:1720

Works Cited

Best, Antony, Jussi M. Hanhimäki, Joseph A. Maiolo, and Kirsten E. Schulze. International History of the Twentieth Century and Beyond. New York: Routledge, 2008. Print.

"Gustav Stresemann - Nobel Lecture." Nobelprize.org. Web. 21 Oct. 2009. <http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1926/stresemann-lecture.html>.

" Weimar's Greatest Statesman Jonathan Wright Looks at the Career of the Statesman Who Might Have Steered Germany Safely through the Weimar Era." Questia Online Library. Web. 21 Oct. 2009. <http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=Kc7MV78n2HcTtLQJQKQkYQTTQ1GCmz29F7q86hLxpqvvgQjLJvzd!-715806550!1330489117?docId=5000640187>.

Lee, Stephen J. Europe, 1890-1945. 1st ed. Routledge, 2003. Print.

Lee2, Stephen J . Hitler and Nazi Germany. London: Routledge, 1998. Print.