Kellog-Briand Pact (Pact of Paris)

In April 1927 Briand suggested that France and the USA should sign a pact promising never to go war against each other. This proposed agreement was meaningless because there was absolutely no possibility of war between America and France. However Briand saw it as a way of symbolizing the friendship between the two countries.

The American government could see little value in the pact. The American Secretary of State was called Frank Kellogg. He eventually suggested that instead of an American-French agreement. all countries should be invited to sign an agreement not to go to war.

On 29 August 1928 government leaders of 15 powerful countries gathered together to sign the Pact of Paris. This soon became known as the Kellogg-Briand Pact. It said that each participating country would not use warfare in order to get what it wanted. In the months that followed most countries in the world agreed to the Kellogg-Briand Pact.

The Pact was worthless as it put no real obligations or restrictions on countries. Japan and Italy both signed the Pact but before very long they used war to get what they wanted and the Kellogg-Briand Pact was shown to be completely irrelevant.