Motives of the 'Big Three'

This is George Clemenceau, leader of France after World War I

Clemenceau‘s main aims of France was to secure French frontiers and to severely punish Germany

The US President Woodrow Wilson, wanted the treaty based on his 16 points

The Big Three, had very similar ideas about how they wanted to treat Germany

The USA joined WWI in 1917 and had suffered in the region of 116,000 military deaths.

Georges Clemenceau and David Lloyd George regarded Woodrow Wilson as a bit of an interfering idealist, and as someone who knew little about European politics.

David Lloyd George, as British prime minister was out to punish Germany as severely as possible.

Georges Clemenceau was especially angry towards Germany as he had seen Germany invade France back in 1870/71

One of Woodrow Wilson‘s main aims was the self determination for the peoples of Europe.

The treaty was ‘fair’ in the sense that the German delegation were able to be part of the negotiations.

Reparations was not settled at the Conference, it was delegated to a special commission.

The main military terms of the treaty were: its army to be reduced to 100,000 man, no general staff, no conscription, no Air Force, no tanks, and a limited navy.

Lloyd George was concerned that by punishing and weakening Germany too harshly, democracy in Germany would be threatened by communism.

Lloyd George was his 'own man' - He didn't pay any attention to the demands of the British public calling for a tough treaty.

Compensation was high on the list of British 'demands' as they had spent 10 billion waging war.

Lloyd George was happy for the British army to be reduced in size so long as the German Navy was too.

Woodrow Wilson was keen for world disarmament - he believed WWI had in part been caused by an arms race. World disarmament would reduce the 'urge to war'.

Lloyd George was in favour of self-determination

Before WWI Germany was the second biggest market for British goods - Lloyd George wanted to be able to trade again with Germany so didn't want Germany so economically weak that this would not happen

Clemenceau was keen to achieve an independent Rhineland and was 'dissatisfied' with the fact that it was just demilitarised