Leaders of the Peace Conference:
President Woodrow Wilson of the United States, United Kingdom's Prime Minister David Lloyd George, and Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau of France were the leaders of this conference. They were known as the Big Three and were the major decision makers.
Georges Clemenceau:
He wanted to punish Germany and make it so that it would never have the power to rise up again. His harsh punishment for Germany was mainly due to the desire for vengeance caused by the Franco-Prussian war.
"Finally were there not, as to-day, Germans, beaten but not crushed, ready by a rare blending of shameless trickery and pugnacity to aspire to hegemony?"
-Georges Clemenceau, writing in 1921 about the need to subject Germany to harsh terms in the Treaty.
-Georges Clemenceau, writing in 1921 about the need to subject Germany to harsh terms in the Treaty.
Lloyd George:
He wanted peace and justice, but not heavy punishment for Germany.
"We want a peace which will be just, but not vindictive... not for vengeance, but for justice. Above all, we want to protect the future against a repetition of the horrors of this war."
-David Lloyd George speaking to Parliament (1919) before he went off to the conference.
-David Lloyd George speaking to Parliament (1919) before he went off to the conference.
Woodrow Wilson:
Wilson wanted peace for all. He presented his publicly known Fourteen Points at the conference, but "The Allies were not overly enthusiastic about the Fourteen Points"(Peter I. Bosco, 198) "Each Allied government found a few provisions it did not like." They "wanted to dictate their own terms and redraw the map of Europe as they saw fit" (Peter I. Bosco, 198). Consequently, he had to modify the Fourteen Points to the Allies' liking.
"We entered this war because violations of right had occurred...unless they were corrected and the world secure once for all against their recurrence. What we demand in this war... is that the world be made fit and safe to live in... like our own, wishes to live its own life, determine its own institutions, be assured of justice and fair dealing by the other peoples of the world as against force and selfish aggression."
– Woodrow Wilson, speaking to Congress on 8 January 1918, introducing his 'Fourteen Points'
– Woodrow Wilson, speaking to Congress on 8 January 1918, introducing his 'Fourteen Points'
The Outcome:
After six months of conferencing, the Treaty of Versailles was formed. This was the mainstay of the conference.This officially ended WWI.