ANALYSIS OF PAST SCHEMES
Essential Disarmament Principles : The Interparliamentary Union--Budgetary Limitation : The Esher Scheme--Combatant Limitation : The Moscow Conference, 1922 : Some Other Efforts : The Washington Conference, 1921-22 : The League Meeting, Brussels, 1920 : The Preparatory Commission, 1926 : Conclusion.
The numerous facts exposed in the previous chapters surrounding the nature and growth of armament have justified certain broad conclusions on which it is claimed the structure of a reasoned and effective disarmament scheme could be based. It was necessary to explore these facts, and if there is anything useful in my particular method of approach to disarmament it will be advisable to probe with more system and depth than is possible in a work of this sort. The points which I have brought forward as throwing light on the characteristics of armament in relation to disarmament are, however, chosen from a much wider field surveyed over long periods, with the standard in view of being representative, rather than the biased objective of supporting any particular argument or case.
Before closing this discussion it would be well to focus these conclusions and broad disarmament considerations or principles by a short summary, followed by a very brief examination of official disarmament proposals which have been put forward recently both before and since the Great War. We cannot attempt any detailed analysis of these proposals, and our object is to see how far they embody the principles which have emerged from our study of armament.
We start off with the assumption, which is to-day a definite element of international policy and agreement, that we no longer desire to settle national disputes by war. The world has begun to give effect to this idea by creating organisations, such as the League of Nations and the International Court of Justice at The
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