1 What were the motives and aims of the Big Three at Versailles?

Question 1

Who was the French Prime Minister?

Answer 1

George Clemenceau

Question 2

What was Clemenceau’s primary concern at Paris?

Answer 2

It was to achieve a peace that would ensure the future security of France

Question 3

How would Clemenceau achieve his primary concern at Paris?

Answer 3

He thought that if Germany was sufficient weakened it would be unable to threaten the peace of Europe again.

Question 4

Why did Clemenceau think that France was open to future attack across its eastern frontier?

Answer 4

• France shared a common border with Germany
• This border was not defined by a natural frontier such as a major river
• The invasion of France in August 1914 was the second time in 50 years that France had been invaded by Germany. On the first occasion in 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, France had lost the province of Alsace-Lorraine

Question 5

What was France’s general feeling to Germany and World War 1 and why was it stronger than any other country’s?

Answer 5

France had a national desire for revenge against Germany because they had made a much greater sacrifice during the course of the war than either Britain or the United States

Question 6

What specific action by the German army made the general public of France very angry towards the country?

Answer 6

When the German army were retreating across north-eastern France during the final stages of the war, they caused deliberate damage by flooding mines and destroying bridges, railways, small towns and villages

Question 7

What were Clemenceau’s demands that were designed to weaken Germany?

Answer 7

• permanent disarmament involving disbanding most of Germany’s army, navy and air force
• a very high level of reparations with a definite figure to be named in the treaty
• the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France
• a significant portion of Germany’s colonies to be handed over to France
• the Rhineland area to be formed into an independent state so that France no longer shared a common border with Germany
• • the Saar Basin to be transferred to France

Question 8

What were the French President’s (Poincaré) thoughts on Clemenceau’s demands?

Answer 8

He wished for them to be more harsh

Question 9

What were Poincaré’s personal demands that were designed to weaken Germany?

Answer 9

• Germany to be broken up into a collection of smaller states
• That Germany should be so dismembered and crippled that they would not be in a position to challenge the peace of Europe 20 years later

Question 10

Who was the President of the United States?

Answer 10

Thomas Woodrow Wilson

Question 11

Which country were the expectations of the peace settlement that the USA would’ve liked the most opposite to out of the Big Three?

Answer 11

France

Question 12

Why were USA’s expectations of the peace settlement different to other countries?

Answer 12

As their experience of the war was very different

Question 13

How was America’s experience of war in Germany different to other countries?

Answer 13

• America had not declared war on Germany until April 1917 and was not fully involved in the war until more than a year later
• At no point was American territory invaded and relatively few American lives were lost with civilian fatalities of less than 800
• The war had provided profitable trading and business opportunities for American manufacturers, merchants and financiers

Question 14

What meant that Wilson could stand back and take a more detached view of the peace proceedings?

Answer 14

the lack of national grievance

Question 15

What was Wilson determined to become?

Answer 15

He was determined to earn his place in history as the guiding spirit behind what he hoped would be a “fair and lasting peace”.

Question 16

How would Wilson’s determination to earn his place in history be achieved?

Answer 16

By making his Fourteen Points the basis of the peace settlement

Question 17

What was Wilson’s approach to peace based on?

Answer 17

They were based on ideals and high principles

Question 18

Why did Wilson’s approach inevitable clash with other countries?

Answer 18

As Britain and France’s approach were self-interested, especially with regard to acquiring Germany’s colonies

Question 19

Before the Paris Peace Conference, who were Lloyd George’s desire look similar to? (November/December 1918)

Answer 19

Lloyd George’s desires looked similar to France’s desire for a harsh peace settlement

Question 20

Why was Lloyd George’s desires before the Paris Peace Conference similar to France’s and the opposite to America’s? (November/December 1918)

Answer 20

As Britain had a different experience of war:

• Unlike America, Britain had suffered direct attacks on her mainland in 1914
• Britain had sustained heavy casualties during the war
• Britain’s economy had been severely disrupted, especially the export sectors
• Britain was concerned about the security of France’s eastern frontier because if that were to be crossed by hostile troops it would be easy for them to threaten Britain

Question 21

What did the British general public demand? (November/December 1918)

Answer 21

They demanded vengeance against Germany immediately after the war

Question 22

What did Prime Minister Lloyd George knew he had to do in order to be re-elected? (November/December 1918)

Answer 22

He had to do what the British public wanted, which was:

• to insist that Germany should pay for the full cost of the war
• a sizeable share of Germany’s colonies

Question 23

By the time he arrived in Paris in January 1919, what did Lloyd George’s interests change to? (January 1919)

Answer 23

a more moderate peace settlement

Question 24

What had caused Lloyd George to change his mind? (January 1919)

Answer 24

• Future economic well-being of Britain depended largely upon the economic revival of Europe; this depended upon the revival of the German economy (Germany was Britain’s most important European customer prior to 1914)
• If Germany were deprived of the Rhineland, where much of its industry was located, it would not be wealthy enough to buy British goods on the same scale as before the war
• A very high reparations figure would also check Germany’s economic recovery since it would take away one that could otherwise be used for investment
• A weak Germany would provide an inadequate barrier against the spread of communism from the east. Communist was regarded by many as a much greater threat to Europe than the revival of German military power
• Lloyd George was also anxious that the treaty should not be regarded as excessively harsh by the Germans as he was convinced that hit so would give rise to a sense of intense grievance. This might lead to attempts to overturn the treaty