What where the motives and aims of the Big Three at Versailles?

Motives of Georges Clemenceau

France had been invaded twice by Germany, in the Franco Prussian war in 1871 and at the start of ww1 in 1914

Aims of Georges Clemenceau

disarmament of Germany's army, navy and air force

high reparations to pay for all the damage done to France and to cripple their enconomy

the Saarland to be handed to France

some German colonies to be handed to France

the return of Alsace and Lorraine

the Rhineland to be made an independent state so there was a buffer between France and Germany

there were no borders between France and Germany

Motives of Lloyd George

Aims of Lloyd George

wanted Germany's navy and colonies

wanted Germany as a trading partner

preserve the British Empire

Motives of Woodrow Wilson

create world peace

stop wars by preventing them, eliminating what caused them

Aims of Woodrow Wilson

  1. no secret treaties
  1. free navigation
  1. free trade
  1. arms reduction
  1. freedom for colonies
  1. german troops leave Russia
  1. belgium independent
  1. Alsace Loraine returned to France
  1. frontiers between Austria and Italy adjusted
  1. self-determination for people in Austria-Hungary
  1. Serbia has access to the sea
  1. self-determination for people in Turkish empire
  1. independent Poland with access to the sea

14 League of Nations formed

if reparations were too high Germany wouldn't be able to rebuild or recover so Britain and Europe wouldn't be able to recover economically

How was the treaty made

Wilson, Lloyd George and Clemenceau had to compromise on their demands

it was a diktat which means a dictated peace treaty since it had not been negotiated but imposed

MIlitary terms of the Treaty of Versailles

article 231 said that Germany and the other Central Powers had to accept full responsibility for causing the war

was limited to 100,000 soldiers

excluded from arms trade

was limited in type and quantity of weapons

no chemical weapons, armoured cars and tanks

no air force

was limited to six battleships

forbidden from joining League of Nations

Territorial terms of the Treaty of Versailles

Economical terms of the Treaty of Versaillles

pay reparations, the sum wasn't fixed at Peace Conference but later on at Reparations Commissions 6,600 million in installments

Alsace Lorraine returned to France

Saar coalfields given to France for 15 years

Rhineland kept but demilitarised

Germany forbadiden from joining Austria, anschluss forbidden

Germany colonies given to Great Powers as mandates

is a pragmastist, he knows compromise must be found, publicly he wanted a harsh treaty but privately he wanted a more lenient treaty

France had suffered the most deaths and damage in ww1

wanted vengeance and a harsh treaty

Woodrow Wilson was an idealist, wants Germany to be treated leniently

the USA have suffered very little compared to Britan and France

believes that if Germany are treated too harshly, they will seek revenge

he won the elections promising to make Germany pay for what they did so was under public pressure,

self-intrest for Britain

public opinion hated Germany and demanded a harsh treaty to make sure they wouldn't be a threat to France anymore

radical

liberal

democrat

no submarines

Malmedy to Belgium

North Schlewsig to Denmark

West Prussia and Upper Silesia to Poland

Danzing made a free city and under League's control

Memel to Lithuania

the rich farmlands of Posen and the Polish corridor between Germany and East Prussia given to Poland.