Chapter 67: 67 Chains
Because the German economy was in trouble around 1923, two special committees were added in November 1923 at the request of the British. One is dedicated to balancing the German budget and stabilizing German finance, and the other is responsible for investigating capital outflows from Germany and devouting methods for repatriation. Both institutions are chaired by American banker C.G. Dawes.
Then, in April 1924, after careful analysis, Dawes drew up a plan to solve the problem of reparations, which is known as the historical Dawes Plan. The German government was forced to accept the plan in August 1924 because of financial difficulties.
The plan provided for the reorganization of the Deutsche Bank under the supervision of the Entente powers, the implementation of monetary reform, and the loan of 800 million gold marks (equivalent to 1) by the Entente countries. 900 million US dollars) in order to stabilize the currency system, and in the case that the total amount of reparations has not yet been finalized, the annual limit of German reparations is stipulated, that is, starting from 1 billion gold marks in the first year (1924~1925), increasing year by year, and increasing to 2.5 billion gold marks per year in the fifth year (1928~1929).
Germany's sources of reparations came from customs duties, monopoly taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugar, railway revenues, and taxes on industrial and commercial enterprises; the issuance of 11 billion gold marks of railway bonds and 5 billion gold marks of industrial bonds; and Germany's financial foreign exchange, railway operations, and tax collection were subject to international supervision.
In other words, Germany, like China, sold its tariffs and other sovereignty in exchange for large sums of money that could be used to repay war reparations owed to countries around the world.
Germany wanted to pay the bill, but then the French invasion of the Ruhr industrial area broke out. Germany had no choice but to accept the reparations plan on the withdrawal of French and Belgian troops from the Ruhr. On 16 August 1924, the plan was accepted by both sides, and France subsequently withdrew its troops from the Ruhr industrial area.
The implementation of the Dawes Plan played an important role in the recovery and development of the German economy in the second half of the 20s. In the long run, this plan was beneficial to Germany, which in 1924 paid reparations of 1 billion gold marks to the countries and received loans of 1.5 billion gold marks from the countries.
However, it is a pity that Germany was busy expanding its army and signing contracts in 1925, so with the efforts of German diplomats that year, the German government only paid 1.1 billion gold marks in war reparations that year, but borrowed 2.5 billion gold marks from Britain and the United States.
Although the signing of this treaty allowed Britain and France to reap a lot of benefits, in order to cope with the rise of the German armed forces, the Polish government ordered 400 Renault F-17 tanks from France and purchased 95 new fighters from Britain. This arms race order benefited the French and the British quite a bit.
In February 1926, the Wehrmacht exceeded 250,000, reaching the upper limit of the new peace treaty, and the navy and air force were expanded or armed in mid-March and April respectively.
Britain and France were also afraid of Germany becoming strong again, and no longer accepted their mercy, re-challenged their international standing, and even retaliated by force. Therefore, the two countries decided to tie another "chain" to Germany, which was becoming stronger.
In July 1926, Édouard Helio came to power in place of Édouard Helio, the famous hard-line French prime minister, Raymond Poincaré, who was one of the main instigators of the French military campaign to occupy the Ruhr industrial region. After he came to power, the French government began to adopt a tough policy towards Germany, France and Belgium began to recover the war reparations owed by Germany, and Germany was forced to turn to Britain for help.
This time, Britain did not side with the Germans, but changed its face to be selfless and appeared between France and Germany as an impartial mediator. In the end, President Hindenburg chose to compromise and ordered the Foreign Office to negotiate a new treaty with France and Britain.
At first, it was very unfavorable to Germany, but the German Foreign Minister Streismann showed his outstanding diplomatic skills, maneuvered between Britain and France, changed the unfavorable situation for Germany, and completed an impossible diplomatic mission.
Soon after, Germany, France, Great Britain, Poland, the Czech Republic, Belgium and other countries held a meeting in Locarno, Switzerland, during which several important texts were communicated.
Subsequently, on December 1, 1926, in London, delegates from various countries officially signed this series of important documents.
Its main contents include: the Final Protocol of the Locarno Conference, which stipulates that Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, and Britain guarantee each other that the German-Belgian and German-French borders will be inviolable, and that the provisions on the demilitarization of the Rhine Zone will be observed, and that Britain and Italy will act as guarantors and undertake the obligation to assist the invaded country; between Germany, Germany, France, Poland and the Czech Republic, Germany and Belgium, France, Poland and the Czech Republic shall settle their disputes by peaceful means, and each group of States Parties shall establish a permanent conciliation commission to deal with the problems between the two sides; The Fajelva and Czech Republic are provided for mutual support in defending against unprovoked attacks.
The convention guarantees the status quo of Germany's borders with its western neighbors, that is, clearly defines Germany's borders with countries such as France and Belgium, which is of positive significance for improving Franco-German relations and stabilizing the situation in Europe. However, the convention did not guarantee Germany's borders with its eastern neighbors, i.e., it did not restrict German expansion to the east.
To put it bluntly, this negotiation was a feast to win over Germany and suppress the Soviet Union, and it was the first step in the strategy of Britain and France to sell Germany well and try to divert Germany's aggression to the east. At the time of the signing of this convention, Germany was still in fact secretly at odds with the Soviet Union, and even more than 400 engineers were helping the Soviet Union build the new battleships of the Red Regime. The English and French machinations were doomed to stillbirth before they had even begun.
Despite the continuing tensions in Eastern Europe, the Locarno Convention is considered by all to be a significant contribution to the improvement of relations between Western European countries in 1927. With the signing of the Convention, Germany became the sixth permanent member of the League of Nations in May 1927, and for a certain time it was able to shake off the shadow of a defeated country. Moreover, the treaty clearly stipulated that the Allies must withdraw from the Rhineland in western Germany by January 1928. This compromise was undoubtedly very encouraging that Germany would be able to achieve a foreign presence on its territory in 1928.
As the first official body to maintain world peace and encourage international cooperation, the League of Nations was able to admit Germany as one of its member states, making a great contribution to the realization of peace in Europe.
The signing of the Locarno Convention was another major adjustment of the Versailles system made by the Entente countries on the issue of European security. It temporarily alleviated the security problems in Europe, improved the relations between the Entente countries, especially France, and Germany, brought European international relations into a period of relative stability, and created favorable conditions for the continuation of the Dawes Plan and the development of the German capitalist economy in the mid-to-late twenties.
However, this convention is not good news for the Wehrmacht. There are many new restrictions on the Wehrmacht, such as reaffirming that the Wehrmacht cannot enter the Rhine Demilitarized Zone, stipulating that Germany must limit its arms business in the Far East, and that the Wehrmacht must change two Western Front border divisions to light infantry divisions in order to reduce the pressure on the border between France and Belgium.
However, because Britain and the Italians intervened, the result of the signing of the convention was that France was weakened, and it lost its right to impose sanctions on Germany as the victorious power, and its own security needed the guarantee of Britain and Italy. The German government, not the Germans, was the main beneficiary, achieving equal status with France and laying the foundation for its restoration as a great power.
Regrettably, the Locarno Convention clearly excluded the former Soviet Union, which made the Soviet Union feel isolated by the West because of the so-called unilateral "Western peace talks". Around 1922, the Soviets reconciled with Germany through the Rapallo Treaty and a series of secret cooperations, but the current actions of Western Europe ostensibly drew Germany towards Western Europe.
However, in any case, the attempt of Britain and France to tie one more chain around the necks of the Germans was completed, and for a time the sky was clear in Western Europe, war seemed to be no longer a threat, people rejoiced, and the economic recession improved because of the signing of the treaty, and even the American Time magazine commented in an article that the Germans not only built cannons, but also longed for peace.
The signing of the treaty made Accardo feel powerless, and the government faction and the merchant alliance within the Greater German Party finally compromised with the countries of the world, and they gave up part of the interests of the Wehrmacht in exchange for their own greater interests.
All he could do was quietly develop the SS and expand the paramilitary organization to 100,000 men – not counting the Wehrmacht's Gestapo, who were merely stormtroopers-like thugs and cadres. Although the SS did not have a numerical advantage over the 300,000 men of the SA, most of them were veterans and active duty officers, and their level of training and weaponry were significantly better than their opponents.
At the same time, the Wehrmacht was not idle, and secretly purchased 40 No. 3 assault guns for the 25th and 26th divisions, and secretly sealed 300,000 barrels of bonded oil shipped by the Soviet Union. It will be used as a strategic resource reserve for the future.
Of course, in addition to Accardo's dislike, there was another person who was angry about this convention, and this person was Adolf Hitler, the signing of the convention made Germany's economy slightly better, and the anti-Semitic* topics promoted by his Nazi party no longer attracted attention, so the development of the Nazi party was severely affected, and he could not afford to lose again when the parliamentary elections were approaching.