The rising challenge in the Asia-Pacific, Britain and Imperial defence in the age of the Ten-Year Rule (1919-1932)

Davide Borsani*

*Corresponding author

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

Abstract

[Autom. eng. transl.] In Great Britain, the need for economic austerity following the First World War generated a policy, the so-called Ten-Year Rule, which placed the imperial defense in a financial "cage" for thirteen years, from 1919 to 1932. On the one hand, the the British government believed that Japan's aggressive actions in the Asia-Pacific area against the territories of the Empire were not a contingency to be seriously considered in the short to medium term. On the other hand, mainly on the initiative of the Admiralty, the government recognized that naval hegemony in the theater had to be preserved in the long term and, therefore, Japanese ambitions could represent a potential challenge for the Empire's security in the future, especially to the eyes of Australia and New Zealand. With these premises, the Naval Conference in Washington and the Imperial Conferences in London were held in the 1920s. The British government informed the Dominion of its intention to build a new naval base in Singapore, seeking ways to share the burden. Divergence of opinion among the Dominions emerged, including the issue of renewing the Anglo-Japanese alliance. Japanese expansionism in the early 1930s changed. the situation, threatening the British naval position in the Asia-Pacific and prompting the Admiralty to request the suspension of the Ten-Year Rule. Eventually, Rule was abandoned by the British government in 1932, while the Singapore base was completed in 1938.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)81-98
Number of pages18
JournalQUADERNI DI SCIENZE POLITICHE
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Keywords

  • Asia-Pacific
  • British Empire

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