International conflict resolution Notes

International Conflict Resolution: How Do Organisations Try to Stop the World From Fighting?

1. International conflict resolution is basically the diplomatic version of being the friend who jumps between two people shouting “Okay, breathe… let’s sort this out like adults.”
2. Modern organisations, the League of Nations, United Nations, Allied conferences, try to keep global peace using tools like:
   1. Negotiation
   2. Peacekeeping
   3. Sanctions
   4. Occasionally the very persuasive power of collective side-eye

Peacemaking After World War I

The Treaty of Versailles (1919)

1. The diplomatic equivalent of saying, “Germany, this is entirely your fault and you’re grounded forever.”
2. Main Terms:
   1. War guilt clause (Germany accepts responsibility).
   2. Massive reparations.
   3. Military restrictions (tiny army, no air force).
   4. Loss of territory and colonies.
   5. Formation of the League of Nations.
3. Intended Impact:
   1. Prevent Germany from ever threatening Europe again.
4. Actual Impact:
   1. Germans felt humiliated and betrayed.
   2. Reparations tanked the economy.
   3. Extremist groups thrived by promising to undo the treaty.
   4. The League had no enforcement power, making it a peace organisation with the authority of a polite suggestion.

Peacemaking After World War II

1. After the disaster of the interwar years, the Allies realised that punishing a country into oblivion wasn’t exactly a recipe for peace.
2. So the focus after WWII shifted toward rebuilding, reconciliation, and stronger institutions.

The United Nations (1945)

1. Built to succeed where the League stumbled dramatically.
2. New Powers (that the League could only dream of):
   1. A Security Council that can actually enforce decisions.
   2. Power to authorise military intervention.
   3. Agencies for health, refugees, development, culture, human rights: actual global infrastructure.
   4. Universality: the aim was to get everyone involved, not just whoever felt like joining.

The Marshall Plan (1948)

1. Peace through money and lots of it.
2. Impact:
   1. Rebuilt Western European economies.
   2. Reduced poverty and extremist appeal.
   3. Strengthened democratic governments.
   4. Helped create a stable, US-aligned Western Europe.
3. Sometimes giving people jobs works much better than giving them ultimatums.

The Yalta & Potsdam Agreements (1945)

1. The Allies reorganised the defeated Axis territories, especially Germany.
2. Key Terms:
   1. Division of Germany into occupation zones.
   2. Demilitarisation and denazification.
   3. New borders for Eastern Europe.
   4. Prosecution of war criminals (Nuremberg Trials).
3. Impact:
   1. Prevented immediate German rearmament.
   2. Set the stage for the Cold War divide.
   3. Created the conditions for long-term European reconstruction.

The Treaty of San Francisco (1951)

1. The lesser-talked-about but massively important treaty that officially ended WWII between Japan and the Allied powers.
2. Main Terms:
   1. Formally ended the state of war with Japan.
   2. Japan renounced claims to Korea, Taiwan, the Kuril Islands, and other territories.
   3. Established Japan’s sovereignty, allowing it to rebuild as a peaceful democracy.
   4. Laid the foundation for the US-Japan Security Alliance, a cornerstone of Cold War strategy in Asia.
   5. Required Japan to accept responsibility for wartime actions (though details were diplomatically softened).
3. Impact:
   1. Enabled Japan’s incredibly rapid post-war recovery.
   2. Helped stabilise East Asia during early Cold War tensions.
   3. Reinforced the shift from punitive treaties to rehabilitative peacebuilding.

What Do These Peace Efforts Tell Us?

1. Punishment alone doesn’t create peace (WWI taught this the hard way).
2. Reconstruction and cooperation work far better (WWII’s postwar strategy).
3. Treaties succeed when supported by strong institutions (UN > League).
4. Economic stability is one of the best antidotes to extremism.
5. Durable peace requires rebuilding identity and trust, not just redrawing borders.