George Clemenceau had main aims which he wanted to have included in the Paris Peace negotiations. One was to protect France. France had already been invaded in 1914 and 1867, so he did not want this to happen again. With Clemenceau’s suggestion of cutting down Germany’s army to 100,000 men, France would no longer have to feel threatened by Germany’s military. Secondly, Clemenceau wanted revenge on Germany for all the destruction and losses. A lot of the fighting had taken place in France, so they had suffered the highest amount of deaths. He wanted to fulfil this point by giving Germany all blame for a war which they alone were not responsible for. Lastly, he wanted compensation from Germany to start rebuilding the country and so that France could start repaying the loan they had taken from America. Through blaming Germany for the war, they could also hold Germany accountable for the damage caused. Therefore they were able to demand high reparations of 6,600 million marks. This would be enough to repay America and give France a better economy. Protecting France, taking revenge on Germany and getting compensation was George Clemenceau’s three main aims in the Paris Peace conference.
Lloyd George had two main items on his agenda which he wanted to have included in the Paris Peace negotiations. Firstly, he wanted to safeguard Britain’s naval supremacy. Before WW1, Germany had a strong navy with 93 warships. Lloyd George wanted to see this number cut down to 6 warships. This would just be enough for Germany to defend herself if she was attacked, but would not be enough for her to be a threat to any other country with their navy, e.g. Britain. This point is similar to Clemenceau’s point about cutting down the Germany army, because they are both about military restrictions. Another of Lloyd George’s wishes was to have a ‘just’ peace. This meant that he wanted to ‘make Germany pay’, but leave Germany strong enough to trade. After WW1, Britain was in debt and needed to start trading again. Germany was a good trading partner and it would benefit Britain.
Woodrow Wilson’s agenda was based upon three main aims at the Paris Peace negotiations. First of all, he wanted to create the League of Nations. He believed that this would help countries in the future talk through their problems instead of creating war. Woodrow Wilson was horrified by the deaths of WW1 and didn’t want a repetition of the war. Secondly he didn’t want Germany to take blame for the war (which was not entirely their fault) because he thought that this would be bound to create retaliation from the Germans. This was completely different to Clemenceau’s view of Germany taking all the war guilt. Woodrow Wilson’s last point was that Germany should not be destroyed. He wanted Germany to be able to fend for herself. Many people thought that America was too involved with the affairs of Europe and didn’t want to be dragged into another war. Lloyd George like Woodrow Wilson didn’t want Germany to be weakened too much, but they wanted this for different reasons. Lloyd George didn’t Germany to be weakened too much so he could have Germany as a good trading partner, whilst Woodrow Wilson just wanted Germany to be able to defend herself. Clemenceau’s aim was different to the other two because he wanted to cripple Germany’s army completely.
Lloyd George and Clemenceau both wanted military restrictions, so this is a similarity in their views. Woodrow Wilson disagreed entirely with Clemenceau about the War guilt clause. Lloyd George and Woodrow Wilson didn’t want Germany to be weakened too much, but Clemenceau wanted to cripple Germany completely. In conclusion, George Clemenceau, Lloyd George and Woodrow Wilson shared some of the same views in the Paris Peace negotiations; however there were more points on which they disagreed.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
War World One was a devastating global war that took place in Europe and was started by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb citizen of Austria-Hungary and member of the Young Bosnia. Austria-Hungary and Serbia’s relationship was already strained and the assassination was the last straw and they went to war. Shortly after this, due to alliances, all of Europe went to war. The U.S was neutral for some time but when Germany declared open submarine war fair the Woodrow Wilson, president of the U.S., had no choice but to go aid Great Britain, Russia, and France, the Triple Entente, against Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire, the Triple Alliance. The Triple Entente defeated the Triple Alliance in 1918 and the Treaty of Versailles was created. The first meeting for the discussion of the treaty was in January 1919, the four major men in the negotiation of the Treaty were Woodrow Wilson, Premier Georges Clemenceau of France, Prime Minister David Lloyd George of Great Britain, and Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando of Italy, who eventually left after an argument with Wilson. Wilson believed the treaty should be built upon the 14 points but soon realized he was the only one who agreed with this so agreed to just the fourteenth point, the League of Nations. The treaty was signed in June, including Wilson’s signature even though he did not have the Senate’s approval so the Senate revoked the treaty. “It was the strength of the opposition forces, both liberal and conservative, rather that the ineptitude and stubbornness of President Wilson that led to the Senate defeat of the Treaty of Versailles.” The validity of this statement is incorrect because due to Wilson’s League of Nations and his absolute stubbornness the Treaty of Versailles was defeated.…
- 744 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
After the long and deadly First World War, of which the U.S. had been embroiled in for over a year, people were finally ready for their soldiers to come home. Some were even ready for peace. However, many Europeans had lost everything in the war and were not ready for peace. They were ready for revenge. The Treaty of Versailles reflected those sentiments. Internationally, the battle over the terms of the Treaty of Versailles was between those, such as Woodrow Wilson, who wanted a “peace without victory” and those who wanted to punish Germany for starting the war. At home in America, the battle over the treaty was quite different. It was a bitter dispute with no resolution, but many unintended consequences. The failure of the U.S. government to ratify the Treaty of Versailles and join the League of Nations resulted in American isolationism and a lack of oversight in Germany, both of which were contributing factors to the beginning of the Second World War.…
- 1583 Words
- 7 Pages
Powerful Essays -
The United States had entered World War I against many wishes of the American public, which made the ratification for the peace agreement an even more difficult task. Woodrow Wilson justified American involvement by claiming that an Ally victory would ensure a new world order. The war would be used as an instrument to "make the world safe for democracy". However, many Americans, government officials, and even the Allies did not agree with the progressive ideals that would be enforced to attain the peace that Wilson had desired and promised. This was made evident when Wilson's negotiations for the peace treaty were criticized and rejected by the leaders of the other Allied nations and isolationists. Even when Wilson acknowledged objections against his proposals, he refused to accept any compromises or different versions of the treaty. Therefore, both the inflexibility of Wilson and strength of the opposition forces led to the defeat of the Treaty of Versailles.…
- 1033 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
World War I, was the basis for many peace treaties and paved the road for future nations and…
- 520 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Germany was weak towards the end of 1918, the naval blockade had starved the nation and Germany was no longer able to continue without having to face total loss. The high command were aware of this and also had knowledge of Wilson’s 14 point, they agreed to have a peace treaty. The Treaty of Versailles was put together…
- 910 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The Prime Minister then decided to provoke France into a war. He wanted to make sure no one would try and intervene in German affairs and bring some of the smaller German states out of the nation as a whole. He then adds insult to injury by suggesting a…
- 625 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The main goal of the Treaty of Versailles was to keep peace. Georges Clemenceau from France was part of the Big 3 and he utterly despised Germany. He believed that if Germany was weakened and broken down into little pieces they could never start another war or threaten France again. He mainly wanted Germany to be severely punished and they were. A large section of the Treaty dealt with the punishment of Germany because many others believed in the thinking of Clemenceau. Another part of the Treaty dealt with the League of Nations. The League was set to enforce the Treaty along with improving the world. The League had achieved many of its goals, but by the 1930 's it wasn 't doing its original job. It is questionable that the Treaty of Versailles kept and provided real peace with the harsh punishments of Germany and the problems of the League of Nations.…
- 1697 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
The Treaty of Versailles brought World War I to an end. It was signed on 28 June 1919 in Versailles. The main structure in the treaty was for Germany and her allies to accept the responsibility for causing all the “loss and damage" during the war. The clause of the treaty stated Germany as the antagonist in the war and therefore made Germany responsible for making amends to the Allied nations in payment for the losses and damage they had sustained in the war. The Treaty called for the formation of a League of Nations in which the promise of mutual security would avoid another major world war…
- 464 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
After World War I, the world tried to construct some form of peace which would prevent another world war. President Wilson thought that World War I would be the “war to end all wars”. Wilson tried to make this possible through his Fourteen Points plan which would create and keep the peace throughout the world. Even though the Versailles Treaty included many of these points, Wilson failed at gaining the Senate’s support. Wilson pushed the Senate to ratify the Versailles Treaty, however, Wilson’s attempt was unsuccessful due to the strength and views of the opposition forces.…
- 772 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
It was difficult to make a peace settlement that would please all the Allies because all of them had very different wishes and views on what should happen next. France and Britain disagreed with most of Woodrow Wilson’s views, as he was too idealist and believed in self-determination, the idea that nations should rule themselves rather than by others, whereas the other allies believed in imperialism, the opposite of self-determination. David Lloyd George did not want the treaty to be too harsh, fearing German revenge, and desired to keep the trade with Germany. Georges Clemenceau’s main aim was to cripple Germany so hard that it would never dare to try declaring a war in Europe again. Woodrow Wilson was the most idealist out of all the allies.…
- 210 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
Once World War I came to a close, many decided they never wanted to go through such a terrible war again. In fact, they even said that World War I was “the war to end all wars.” They wanted to bring peace throughout the nations, something that would ensure that they would never have reason to fight again, at least not nearly as bad as the Great War had been. President Woodrow Wilson was a strong supporter of a peace between all continents, even constructing a 14 Point Plan that would focus on bringing peace to the world. As a result, when the League of Nations came into being, he fully supported the Treaty of Versailles, which would not only induct the United States into the League, but also hold every single one of the signers to their promise of peace and unity. President Wilson brought this to the attention of the United States government, and though the Treaty of Versailles supported many of Wilson’s points from his 14 Point Plan, it was unsuccessful in passing. Though Wilson was very stubborn in trying to get the treaty passed, the strength of the opposing forces was too great, and Senate declined the passing of the treaty.…
- 646 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The ending of the war created many treaties. The allies entered treaties with different areas of Europe. All the treaties combined were called the Peace of Paris. The treaty of Versailles is the most well known and was hard on Germany. The allies felt Germany was responsible for World War One. The treaty of Versailles limited Germany's ability to have a standing army and navy, also to manufacture war goods.…
- 746 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
761). More than 32 diplomats from countries attended, however the Big Four-George Clemenceau, David George, Woodrow Wilson, and Vittorio Orlando-were the leading negotiators. The Conference drew together the five major peace treaties, to include the war-ending, Treaty of Versailles. Perhaps, the most humiliating piece and the first sight of the looming storm was for the Germans. Amongst the provisions in the Treaty was that Germany had to accept her and all her allies responsibity in causing the loss and damage produced by the war. This amongst the Treaty’s other provisions which included a loss of one-tenth their territory, did little to pacify or permanently weaken Germany and her like-minded…
- 777 Words
- 4 Pages
Powerful Essays -
" Britain and France both had the same idea when it came to the punishment of Germany but only France would see Germany as a potential treat in the future of " European stability". The French saw Germany as a treat in the near future. The way Britain would see Germany as a “barrier-fortress against the Russians" and an economically strong nation with which to engage in international trade". France feared that not levying harsh enough penalties upon Germany would only make her stronger and she would eventually rise up against France in." Once Germany received the treaty they want to agree to the treaty.…
- 1419 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
During the war he was a critic, but not much more than that. He did not make any huge war plans or end the war with diplomacy, but somehow he still managed to have a greater impact than either of those would have created. Clemenceau managed to have impact not on WWI, but on WWII. The Tiger created very harsh reparations and made the Treaty of Versailles very harsh on Germany. This stems back to the beginning of his life when his father instilled in Clemenceau a hatred of Germany. I believe that Georges Clemenceau was largely responsible for the start of WWII. Had it not been for Clemenceau’s instillations in the Treaty, Germany may not have fallen so low and needed to look to a leader like Hitler. This is all hypothetical considering this was almost 100 years ago. But, I believe we have learned from The Tiger’s mistake and we know not to treat a losing country so badly, for fear of retaliation. On a side note, it is instances like this that provide examples of why we need to study the past and learn from…
- 1034 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays