This inter-American multilateral treaty established norms of non-aggression and conciliation across the Western hemisphere, influencing regional peace frameworks until 1948.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- October 10, 1933
- Original signatories
- Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay
- US accession date
- August 10, 1934
- Entry into force
- November 13, 1935
- Terminated by
- Pact of Bogotá (April 30, 1948)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
In the early 1930s, regional tensions and ongoing conflicts such as the Chaco War prompted Latin American states to seek stronger multilateral commitments to peace and non-aggression. Argentine Foreign Minister Carlos Saavedra Lamas championed a new inter-American legal framework to address gaps in existing international peace mechanisms.
On October 10, 1933, representatives of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, and Uruguay signed the Anti-war Treaty of Non-aggression and Conciliation in Rio de Janeiro. The treaty obligated signatories to renounce war as an instrument of policy and to resolve disputes through peaceful conciliation procedures.
The treaty entered into force on November 13, 1935, was registered with the League of Nations, and exerted a lasting influence on Western hemisphere peace norms. It remained in effect until superseded by the Pact of Bogotá in 1948, which consolidated inter-American dispute-settlement obligations into a broader framework.
Political Outcome
Treaty adopted; obligated signatories to non-aggression and conciliation; remained in force until replaced by the Pact of Bogotá in 1948.