Interwar Foreign Policy (College Board AP® US History): Exam Questions

2 mins2 questions
11 mark

"The U.S. Senate approved the treaty with but one dissenting vote. Few believed it would actually eliminate war, but many did hope that an important step had been taken toward promoting peace. Americans were especially pleased that their nation had taken the lead in this most worthy of causes. Conspicuously lacking in enforcement provisions, the Pact of Paris perfectly fitted the Republican approach of involvement without commitment, most often cited as its major flaw."

George C. Herring, “The American Century and Beyond: U.S. Foreign Relations, 1893–2014”. 2017

The Kellogg-Briand Pact exemplified the limitations of idealism in interwar diplomacy by

  • Failing to prevent aggression from expansionist powers in the 1930s

  • Prioritizing economic sanctions over collective security agreements

  • Excluding non-European nations from the treaty's provisions

  • Placing excessive reliance on the League of Nations to enforce peace

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21 mark

"The U.S. Senate approved the treaty with but one dissenting vote. Few believed it would actually eliminate war, but many did hope that an important step had been taken toward promoting peace. Americans were especially pleased that their nation had taken the lead in this most worthy of causes. Conspicuously lacking in enforcement provisions, the Pact of Paris perfectly fitted the Republican approach of involvement without commitment, most often cited as its major flaw."

George C. Herring, “The American Century and Beyond: U.S. Foreign Relations, 1893–2014”. 2017

What broader trends in U.S. foreign policy does Herring suggest are embodied by the Kellogg-Briand Pact?

  • A shift toward international interventionism

  • The dominance of isolationism in U.S. public and government opinion

  • A balance between international idealism and practical limitations

  •  A retreat from leadership roles in global diplomacy after World War I

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