Motives & Aims of the Big Three at Versailles (AQA GCSE History)

Why did the Big Three meet at Versailles and what were their aims?- Summary

After the First World War, world leaders met at the Palace of Versailles in France to create a peace treaty and prevent future wars. This meeting was called the Paris Peace Conference. It included representatives from over 30 countries. However, the leaders of the three main Allied powers, the USA, France and Great Britain made the most important decisions. These leaders were known as the ‘Big Three.’ The meeting happened at Versailles because it was a significant and symbolic location. The Palace of Versailles used to be the royal residence of the French kings of the past. It was known for its beauty and historical importance.

Each of the Big Three had different motives and aims for the treaty. President Woodrow Wilson wanted a fair and lasting peace. He proposed his Fourteen Points, which included the creation of the League of Nations to help countries resolve conflicts peacefully. Prime Minister David Lloyd George aimed to ensure that Britain remained a major power. He wanted to punish Germany but not so harshly that Germany would not be able to function or trade. Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau wanted to ensure France's security by weakening Germany so it could never threaten France again. He wanted Germany to pay heavy reparations for the damage caused by the war.

Who were the Big Three?

• The armistice only ensured temporary peace

  • There needed to be an official peace document where the Allies agreed on the terms of the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria’s defeat

• Discussions began in January 1919 at the Palace of Versailles, Paris

  • The meeting aimed to create five peace treaties called the Versailles Settlement 

    • The biggest treaty was the Treaty of Versailles, which dealt with Germany

• The ‘Big Three’ negotiated the terms of the treaty. These were:

  • Georges Clemenceau (Prime Minister of France)

  • Woodrow Wilson (President of the USA)

  • David Lloyd George (Prime Minister of Great Britain)

Motives of the Big Three

Georges Clemenceau’s Motives

• Clemenceau saw the Paris Peace Conference as an opportunity to gain territory back

  • France and Germany had fought twice during the 19th century

  • Germany had taken key areas from France including the region of Alsace-Lorraine

• France feared future invasion from Germany

  • Germany and France shared a border

  • Clemenceau wanted to limit Germany’s military strength

• Clemenceau was angry and uncompromising

  • The majority of the Western Front was in France

    • The fighting had destroyed many roads, hospitals and factories

  • Clemenceau wanted Germany to:

    •  Pay to repair these damages 

    • Take responsibility for starting the war

Woodrow Wilson’s Motives

• Wilson was an idealist. He wanted to create a lasting peace after the First World War

  • He believed that the Versailles Settlement should embody what he called the ‘Fourteen Points’

  • Some of his Fourteen Points were:

    • All national groups should have their own country. This is called self-determination

    • All countries should follow a policy of disarmament to avoid war in the future

    • All countries should discuss their issues openly and not sign secret treaties

    • All countries should remove trade tariffs and cooperate economically

  • Wilson pictured a new organisation called the League of Nations

    • This League would encourage countries to communicate their problems rather than use violence and war

    • Wilson wanted all countries to join the League of Nations

    • It would support the implementation of Wilson’s Fourteen Points

• Wilson also wanted to trade with Germany

  • Large reparations would make Germany weak and could lead to its collapse as a country

  • A strong, economically secure Germany would help rebuild Europe after the First World War

David Lloyd George’s Motives

• Lloyd George was realistic and agreed with aspects of France’s and the USA’s motives

• Britain had experienced high casualties like France

  • The British public hated Germany and wanted revenge

• Lloyd George understood some of Clemenceau’s anger towards Germany

  • Before the start of the First World War, Germany had challenged Britain’s naval power

  • From 1884 onwards, Germany had expanded its empire. Britain wanted to have the strongest and biggest empire in the world

• Lloyd George also supported Wilson’s point that a strong Germany was better for European economies

  • A prosperous Germany would want to trade with Britain and buy its imperial goods

Aims for the Treaty of Versailles

• Due to their different motives, the Big Three all had different aims for the Treaty of Versailles:

  • Georges Clemenceau wanted a harsh treaty that included:

    • High reparations

    • The protection of France’s borders

    • The splitting of Germany into states

    • Germany disbanding its armed forces to prevent another invasion

    • The return of Alsace-Lorraine to France

    • Giving France the rich industrial area in Germany known as the Saar Basin to rebuild its economy

    • Germany giving its overseas colonies to France

  • Woodrow Wilson wanted a soft treaty that included:

    • The creation of independent states like Poland that had access to the sea

    • The return of Alsace-Lorraine to France 

    • The end of Germany’s empire and the weakening of all empires

    • Avoiding blaming Germany for the start of the First World War. This included not making Germany pay high reparations

    • The inclusion of all nations, including Germany, in the League of Nations

    • Freedom of the seas. Wilson believed that trading ships should have access to any waters without fear of attack

  • David Lloyd George wanted a fair treaty, somewhere between Wilson's and Clemenceau’s vision. His treaty would include:

    • Retaining a strong trading relationship with Germany

    • Taking Germany’s overseas colonies

    • Harsh enough terms to satisfy the British desire for revenge. Lloyd George had just won an election on the promise that he would ‘make Germany pay’

    • Germany keeping its military strength to prevent communism from Russia spreading into Europe

    • A reduction in Germany’s navy to reinforce Britain’s naval supremacy

How different were the aims of the Big Three for the Treaty of Versailles?