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Abigail choo
The Versailles Conference

 The First World War (1914–1918) had been bad.
10 million people died. The part of France where there had been fighting – the
‘Western Front’ – was totally destroyed.
 In November 1918, Germany had signed a cease-fire. It was called ‘the

Armistice’.
 The Germans could not fight any longer. But they did not think they had
surrendered!
 In January 1919, delegates from 32 countries met at Versailles, near Paris, to

make treaties to end the war. The meeting was known as the Versailles
Conference.
The Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
The main points of the Treaty
After the war, the victors met at the

Palace of Versailles, near Paris, to 1. Germany had to accept the blame for
tell Germany the terms of peace. starting the war.
2. Germany was forbidden to have
Defeated Germany was not submarines or an air force. She could
allowed to send any delegates, have a navy of only six battleships, and
and had no choice but to accept an army of just 100,000 men. In addition,
whatever was decided. Germany was not allowed to place any
troops in the Rhineland, the strip of land,
Most of the delegates wanted 50 miles wide, next to France.
revenge. 3. Germany had to pay £6,600 million,
called reparations, for the damage done
Only President Woodrow Wilson during the war.
of the United States wanted a 4. Germany lost land in Europe (see map,
better world. below). Germany’s colonies were given to
Britain and France.
5. Germany could not join the League of
Nations.
6. Germany could never unite with Austria.
The aims of The Big Three
The three most important men at the

Versailles Conference – ‘the Big
Three’ – were: Georges Clemenceau
 Georges Clemenceau, the Prime
He was the Prime Minister of France.
Minister of France.
 Woodrow Wilson, the president He wanted revenge, and to punish the
of America. Germans for what they had done.
 David Lloyd George, the Prime
Minister of Britain. He wanted to make Germany pay for
the damage done during the war.
All three men wanted to stop a war He also wanted to weaken Germany, so
ever happening again, but they did France would never be invaded again.
not agree about how to do this. They
wanted different things from the
peace, and they did not get on well.
David Lloyd George
Woodrow Wilson
He was President of America. He was Prime Minister of Britain.
He was a History professor. He wanted He said he would ‘make Germany pay’

to make the world safe. – because he knew that was what the
He wanted to end war by making British people wanted to hear.
a fair peace.
He wanted ‘justice’, but he did not want
In 1918, Wilson published ‘Fourteen revenge. He said that the peace must
Points’ saying what he wanted. He not be harsh – that would just cause
said that he wanted disarmament, and another war in a few years time.
a League of Nations (where countries
could talk out their problems, without He tried to get a ‘halfway point’ – a
going to war). compromise between Wilson and
Clemenceau.
He also promised self-determination
for the peoples of Eastern Europe.
Essay!
[memorise this essay, then try to write it out from memory]
How did the victorious countries intend to treat Germany in 1919?
A million Frenchmen had died in the war; the French wanted revenge, to punish the Germans for what they had
done. They wanted to make Germany pay for the damage done during the war. Finally, they wanted to weaken
Germany, so France could never be invaded again.
(4 things)
America had not been ruined by the war, so the American president, Woodrow Wilson only wanted a ‘fair
peace’, which would make the world safe, and end war. Wilson also wanted disarmament, a League of Nations
(where countries could talk out their problems), and self-determination for the peoples of Eastern Europe – the
‘Fourteen Points’.
(7 things)
Some British people wanted to make Germany pay – ‘everything you can squeeze out of a lemon’. Many,
however, like their Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, realised that the peace must not be harsh, or there
would be another war in a few years time. Lloyd George said he wanted ‘justice’ – a halfway point between
Clemenceau’s revenge and Wilson’s ideals.
(5 things)
Verdicts on the Treaty

Clemenceau:
liked the harsh things that were in the Treaty:
 Reparations (would repair the damage to France),
 The tiny German army, and the demilitarised zone in the Rhineland (would protect
France),
 France got Alsace-Lorraine, and German colonies.
But he wanted the Treaty to be harsher.
Wilson:
Wilson got self-determination for the peoples of Eastern Europe, and a League of Nations,
but he hated the Treaty:
 few of his ‘Fourteen Points’ got into the Treaty,
 when Wilson went back to America, the Senate refused to join the League of Nations,
and even refused to sign the Treaty of Versailles!
Lloyd George:
Many British people wanted to ‘make Germany pay’, but Lloyd George hated the Treaty. He
liked:
 the fact that Britain got some German colonies,
 the small German navy (helped British sea-power).
But he thought that the Treaty was far too harsh.

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Abigail choo

The Versailles Conference

 In November 1918, Germany had signed a cease-fire. It was called ‘the

 In January 1919, delegates from 32 countries met at Versailles, near Paris, to

The Terms of the Treaty of Versailles

The main points of the Treaty

After the war, the victors met at the

The three most important men at the

He was a History professor. He wanted He said he would ‘make Germany pay’

Verdicts on the Treaty

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