The Treaty of Versailles

The treaty of Versailles

The aims of the Big 3

Lloyd George's aims:

• A "just" peace that would be tough enough to please the electors who "wanted Germany to pay" but leave Germany strong enough to trade.
• Land for Britain's empire
• To safeguard Britain's naval supremacy

Woodrow Wilson's aims:

• To end war by creating a League of Nations- based on Wilson's 14 points
• To ensure that Germany was not destroyed
• To not blame Germany for the war - he hated the guilt clause

Clemenceau's aims:

• Revenge and punish Germany
• To return Alsace-Lorraine to France
• No league of Nations (LoN)
• Independent Rhineland
• Huge reperations
• To weaken Germany (army) so that Germany will never be strong enough to attack France again
  

Armistice - An agreement made by opposing sides in a war to stop fighting for a certain time (i.e. a truce).

The Armistice of 11th November 1918 was greeted with great joy. Europeans wanted lasting peace and to make Germany pay for the damage done (+ revenge).

The Germans expected that the peace treaty would be based on Wilson's 14 points. The six key examples were:

• Setting up a LoNs
• Disarmament
• Self determination…