--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This meant there could be no German…" description: "\"“This meant there could be no German rearmament; that meant there could be no equality of arms, and that in turn, by the convoluted logic of politics, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/135/james-l-stokesbury-36062_politics_this-meant-there-could-be-no-german-rear_1193350.jpg" --- # This meant there could be no German rearmament; that meant… ![“This meant there could be no German rearmament; that meant there could be no equality of arms, and that in turn, by the convoluted logic of politics, meant there could be no disarmament.” quote by James L. Stokesbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/135/james-l-stokesbury-36062_politics_this-meant-there-could-be-no-german-rear_1193350.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/135/james-l-stokesbury-36062_politics_this-meant-there-could-be-no-german-rear_1193350.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/135/james-l-stokesbury-36062_politics_this-meant-there-could-be-no-german-rear_1193350.jpg) > ““This meant there could be no German rearmament; that meant there could be no equality of arms, and that in turn, by the convoluted logic of politics, meant there could be no disarmament.”” [James L. Stokesbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-stokesbury/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Disarmament requires parity; without equal arms, nations cannot trust each other enough to disarm. **In simple terms:** Equality of arms is needed for disarmament. Key Takeaway Seek balanced security to enable arms reduction. Themes security politics disarmament Mood analytical skeptical Type theoretical political When to use this quote - international negotiations - military budgeting - confidence‑building measures Key Concepts deterrence balance of power Questions to Reflect On - Can trust be built without equal forces? - What alternatives exist to parity? A Different Perspective Political realities often prevent true equality, stalling disarmament. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disarmament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disarmament/) [German Rearmament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/german-rearmament-3549496/) [Meant Disarmament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meant-disarmament-3549494/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Rearmament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rearmament-3549497/) [Rearmament Meant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rearmament-meant-3549495/) ## Related quotes > [“In 1932, a commission of the League of Nations produced a preparatory draft for a general scheme of disarmament. The proposal, however, left untouched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-stokesbury/in-1932-a-commission-of-the-league-of-nations-produced-a-preparatory/) [James L. Stokesbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-stokesbury/) > [“Ceasefire postpones war, disarmament instills peace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/ceasefire-postpones-war-disarmament-instills-peace/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [We are at the point in time and terror where nothing short of a strong uniform policy of domestic disarmament will alleviate the danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-v-murphy/we-are-at-the-point-in-time-and-terror-where-nothing-short-of-a/) [Patrick V. Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-v-murphy/) > [A program of "disarmament," while imperialist antagonisms survive, is the most pernicious of fictions. Even if it were realized by way of general agreement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/a-program-of-disarmament-while-imperialist-antagonisms-survive-is-the/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [“Ceasefire only postpones war, what’s needed is demilitarization.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/ceasefire-only-postpones-war-what-s-needed-is-demilitarization/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Because war and preparations for war have acquired legitimacy, and because of the tremendous proliferation of arms through production and export, so that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alva-myrdal/because-war-and-preparations-for-war-have-acquired-legitimacy-and/) [Alva Myrdal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alva-myrdal/) > [Well, the disarmament conference is off to a flying start. There is nothing to prevent their succeeding now but human nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/well-the-disarmament-conference-is-off-to-a-flying-start-there-is/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [We invite people working for peace to span generations and national boundaries, and gather together to communicate. Let us firmly join hands and foster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iccho-itoh/we-invite-people-working-for-peace-to-span-generations-and-national/) [Iccho Itoh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iccho-itoh/) > [A free India will throw all her weight in favour of world disarmament and should herself be prepared to give a lead in this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/a-free-india-will-throw-all-her-weight-in-favour-of-world-disarmament/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Victim disarmament types are sick, sick people, who'd rather see a woman raped in an alley and strangled with her own pantyhose than see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/victim-disarmament-types-are-sick-sick-people-who-d-rather-see-a/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [While we were never able to provide 100 percent certainty regarding the disposition of Iraq's proscribed weaponry, we did ascertain a 90-95 percent level…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-ritter/while-we-were-never-able-to-provide-100-percent-certainty-regarding/) [Scott Ritter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-ritter/) > [“This is why therapists go to such lengths to urge their anxious patients away from intellectualization: The first step toward peace is disarmament.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-b-smith/this-is-why-therapists-go-to-such-lengths-to-urge-their-anxious/) [Daniel B. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-b-smith/) > [Disarmament without checks is but a shadow - and a community without law is but a shell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/disarmament-without-checks-is-but-a-shadow-and-a-community-without/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Obama spent the first two years of his administration practicing political unilateral disarmament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cenk-uygur/obama-spent-the-first-two-years-of-his-administration-practicing/) [Cenk Uygur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cenk-uygur/) > [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) ## More by James L. Stokesbury > [“Is it too imaginative to say that if the Schlieffen Plan had worked, Adolf Hitler might have remained a private in the List Regiment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-stokesbury/is-it-too-imaginative-to-say-that-if-the-schlieffen-plan-had-worked/) [James L. Stokesbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-stokesbury/) > [“The wars of the mid-nineteenth century had been short, and they had been won by the state that got the most men in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-stokesbury/the-wars-of-the-mid-nineteenth-century-had-been-short-and-they-had/) [James L. Stokesbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-stokesbury/) > [“Actually, she had now made it extremely likely that, if Germany developed any expansionist tendencies at all, the French would be dragged into another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-stokesbury/actually-she-had-now-made-it-extremely-likely-that-if-germany/) [James L. Stokesbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-stokesbury/) > [“None of the treaties could disguise the basic fact of European life—a united Germany was potentially the strongest power on the Continent. France began…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-stokesbury/none-of-the-treaties-could-disguise-the-basic-fact-of-european-life-a/) [James L. Stokesbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-stokesbury/) > [“The Russian delegation, led by Maxim Litvinov, proposed complete and immediate disarmament for everybody; this was rejected out of hand as a Bolshevik trick.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-stokesbury/the-russian-delegation-led-by-maxim-litvinov-proposed-complete-and/) [James L. Stokesbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-stokesbury/) > [“The fact that France and Britain did go on to win the war preserved their great-power status, but to a very considerable extent they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-stokesbury/the-fact-that-france-and-britain-did-go-on-to-win-the-war-preserved/) [James L. Stokesbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-stokesbury/) > [“In 1932, a commission of the League of Nations produced a preparatory draft for a general scheme of disarmament. The proposal, however, left untouched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-stokesbury/in-1932-a-commission-of-the-league-of-nations-produced-a-preparatory/) [James L. Stokesbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-stokesbury/) > [“Darwin had said the fittest survived, and the Social Darwinists completed the circle. The best way to demonstrate fitness to survive was to dominate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-stokesbury/darwin-had-said-the-fittest-survived-and-the-social-darwinists/) [James L. Stokesbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-stokesbury/) > [“The Battle of the Marne was the end of the Schlieffen Plan, the end of the era of short wars, and the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-stokesbury/the-battle-of-the-marne-was-the-end-of-the-schlieffen-plan-the-end-of/) [James L. Stokesbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-stokesbury/) > [“So beautiful was that summer that those who survived it invested it with a golden haze; it assumed a retrospective poignancy, as if before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-stokesbury/so-beautiful-was-that-summer-that-those-who-survived-it-invested-it/) [James L. Stokesbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-stokesbury/) > [“Britain and France, honoring their pledge to Poland made earlier in the year, declared war on Germany on September 3. The war lasted nearly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-stokesbury/britain-and-france-honoring-their-pledge-to-poland-made-earlier-in/) [James L. Stokesbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-stokesbury/) [Explore all 12 James L. Stokesbury quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-stokesbury/) ## More Disarmament quotes > [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Obama spent the first two years of his administration practicing political unilateral disarmament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cenk-uygur/obama-spent-the-first-two-years-of-his-administration-practicing/) [Cenk Uygur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cenk-uygur/) > [Disarmament without checks is but a shadow - and a community without law is but a shell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/disarmament-without-checks-is-but-a-shadow-and-a-community-without/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [“This is why therapists go to such lengths to urge their anxious patients away from intellectualization: The first step toward peace is disarmament.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-b-smith/this-is-why-therapists-go-to-such-lengths-to-urge-their-anxious/) [Daniel B. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-b-smith/) > [While we were never able to provide 100 percent certainty regarding the disposition of Iraq's proscribed weaponry, we did ascertain a 90-95 percent level…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-ritter/while-we-were-never-able-to-provide-100-percent-certainty-regarding/) [Scott Ritter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-ritter/) > [Victim disarmament types are sick, sick people, who'd rather see a woman raped in an alley and strangled with her own pantyhose than see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/victim-disarmament-types-are-sick-sick-people-who-d-rather-see-a/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [A free India will throw all her weight in favour of world disarmament and should herself be prepared to give a lead in this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/a-free-india-will-throw-all-her-weight-in-favour-of-world-disarmament/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [We invite people working for peace to span generations and national boundaries, and gather together to communicate. Let us firmly join hands and foster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iccho-itoh/we-invite-people-working-for-peace-to-span-generations-and-national/) [Iccho Itoh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iccho-itoh/) > [Well, the disarmament conference is off to a flying start. There is nothing to prevent their succeeding now but human nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/well-the-disarmament-conference-is-off-to-a-flying-start-there-is/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [Because war and preparations for war have acquired legitimacy, and because of the tremendous proliferation of arms through production and export, so that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alva-myrdal/because-war-and-preparations-for-war-have-acquired-legitimacy-and/) [Alva Myrdal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alva-myrdal/) > [“Ceasefire only postpones war, what’s needed is demilitarization.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/ceasefire-only-postpones-war-what-s-needed-is-demilitarization/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [A program of "disarmament," while imperialist antagonisms survive, is the most pernicious of fictions. Even if it were realized by way of general agreement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/a-program-of-disarmament-while-imperialist-antagonisms-survive-is-the/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [We are at the point in time and terror where nothing short of a strong uniform policy of domestic disarmament will alleviate the danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-v-murphy/we-are-at-the-point-in-time-and-terror-where-nothing-short-of-a/) [Patrick V. Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-v-murphy/) > [“Ceasefire postpones war, disarmament instills peace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/ceasefire-postpones-war-disarmament-instills-peace/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Some might complain that nuclear disarmament is little more than a dream. But that ignores the very tangible benefits disarmament would bring for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ban-ki-moon/some-might-complain-that-nuclear-disarmament-is-little-more-than-a/) [Ban Ki-moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ban-ki-moon/) [Browse all 244 Disarmament quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disarmament/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“This meant there could be no German rearmament; that meant there could be no equality of arms, and that in turn, by the convoluted logic of politics, meant there could be no disarmament.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James L. 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