Unintended Consequences: The Effects of the Washington Naval Treaties on the Baltic

The Washington Naval Conference opened on 12 November 1921. The meeting of former Entente powers, Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan, and the United States, produced a ten-year moratorium on the construction of battleships. Moreover, it limited Great Power competition in the construction of the largest classes of warships, and restricted the building of some, and sales of all smaller types. It also laid the groundwork for appeasement.1