The leaders of the victorious powers in World War I What they wanted The outcome of the conference
The Entente Powers dictated the terms of the peace treaty to Germany and its allies. They met for a peace conference at Versailles, outside Paris, throughout 1919. There were three main leaders (known as the Big Three):
• Woodrow Wilson (US President) • Georges Clemenceau (French Prime Minister) • David Lloyd George (British Prime Minister)
Each of the three wanted different things.
• Wilson wanted a just peace to prevent future wars and had outlined his views in his ‘Fourteen Points’ speech when the US entered the war. He sought to reduce the size of armies to preserve the peace. He also believed in the ‘right to self-determination’, the right of a people or nation sharing a common language and culture to govern themselves independently. He wanted a new organisation, the League of Nations, set up to keep peace between nations.
• Clemenceau blamed the Germans for starting the war and therefore wanted to punish Germany. France had lost 1.4 million men in the war and suffered billions in damages; it demanded compensation. Clemenceau was also determined to secure France against future German attacks and to prevent Germany ever being a threat again.
Left to right: Lloyd George, Clemenceau and Wilson
• Lloyd George also wanted Germany punished to appease people at home in Britain. He saw the peace treaty as an opportunity to expand the British empire and boost the British economy, both at the expense of Germany.
