Mutual interference and strategic concepts of international relations in the inter-war period

Abstract

The creation of Versailles-Washington system of international relations failed to provide conditions for the crisis-free development of the international society in 1918–1938. Contradictions provoked by unequal treaties with the defeated, especially with Germany, ignoring interests of Italy and the Soviet Union finally must have led to the collapse of the system, materialized in the new world war. Realization of these facts by military specialists in the very period of history made them work out new strategic concepts. Their main objective was to find new ways of conducting military operations in the forthcoming world war, which they thought to be inevitable. Great Britain, France, the USSR, Germany, Italy, the USA and Japan made the most persistent efforts in concept development. Besides the modeling of conditions, under which future war should be waged, authors of a set of concepts paid attention to the preparation of civilian population and industry to the warfare. In the USSR due to the prevailing ideology experts focused on the political aspect of the future war. By the way, the creation of a strategic paradigm influenced the external policy of the state. Thus, the very fact that the strategic concept included the idea that the future war will be waged by blocks of states made the political leaders look for allies. Similarly, the assumption that in the future military conflict certain weapon system may complete strategic tasks could make the states which didn’t possess such armament or had limited availability of it appear on the international arena calling to constraint, prohibit or eliminate certain kinds of weapon and equipment.