Germany Is "Punished" by the Big Three at Versailles

1. Using information and sources on pages 14 – 17, summarize the aims of the three leaders at the Paris Peace Conference.

Georges Clemenceau (France)

• Attitude towards Germany: Germany is as powerful and threatening as ever. Clemenceau and other French leaders wanted Germany to be broken into a collection of smaller states, but he knew that the Americans and the British would not agree to this.
• Main Aim: Clemenceau, aware of public opinion in France, stated his goal was to weaken Germany as much as possible.
• How He Felt About the Treaty: Clemenceau saw the Treaty as an opportunity to cripple Germany so that it could not attack France again.

Woodrow Wilson (United States)

• Attitude towards Germany: Wilson believed that Germany should be punished, but the treaty should not be too harsh. He believed that if Germany was punished too harshly, it would recover and want revenge.
• Main Aim: Wilson’s main aim was to strengthen democracy in the defeated nation so that its people would not let its leaders cause another war.
• How He Felt About the Treaty: Wilson hoped to use the Treaty as means to accomplish some of his plans for international peace.

David Lloyd George (Great Britain)

• Attitude towards Germany: Lloyd George wanted Germany to be justly punished but not too harshly. He wanted Germany and Britain to begin trading with each other again. He wanted Germany to lose its navy and its colonies because Britain thought they threatened the British Empire.
• Main Aim: Like Wilson, Lloyd George aimed to prevent Germany from seeking revenge in the future and possible starting another war.
• How He Felt About the Treaty: Lloyd George, under public pressure, promised to use the Treaty to ‘make Germany pay.’

2. Read pages 18 – 19. Summarize the main terms of the Treaty of Versailles.

War Guilt: This clause stated that Germany had to accept the blame for starting the war.

Reparations: Without consulting Germany, the world’s major powers decide Germany had to pay reparations of $32 billion. The terms of the payment are later changed in 1929.

German Territories & Colonies: Germany’s overseas empire was taken away. Former German colonies became mandates controlled by the League of Nations, which effectively meant that France and Britain controlled them.

Germany’s Armed Forces: Both the size and power of the German army were greatly restricted to a level well below what they had been before the war. The army was limited to 100,000 men. Soldiers had to be volunteers. Germany was not allowed armored vehicles, submarines or aircraft. The navy could only have six battleships. The Rhineland, the border between Germany and France, became a demilitarized zone.

League of Nations: The League of Nations was set up as an international ‘police force.’ Germany was not allowed to join the League until it had shown that it was a peace-loving country.