ABSTRACT
In assessing the causes of the war we might well ask why the Soviet Union and the United States did not impose their own idea of equilibrium at a stage earlier than 1945. The answer lies partly in the fact that until the world depression it was not entirely clear that Britain and France, in co-operation
with other League powers, could not make the Versailles system work. Both were regarded, rightly or wrongly, as the ‘super-powers’ of their day. But the explanation lies principally in the fact that for compelling reasons in domestic politics neither the Soviet Union nor the United States was in a position to exert its influence with any profound effect in world affairs. American isolationism and, after 1935, open neutrality, and the need to consolidate communist power inside Russia, held both states back from major intervention in international politics. Nor, it should be added, was Europe prepared to abandon its traditional position at the centre of the world stage. Europe possessed a wealth of diplomatic experience, commercial strength and political influence. Its moral ascendancy was taken for granted.
