The “” at the Versailles Conference

What did the leaders of France, America and Britain want at the Versailles Conference? Objectives

• By the end of this lesson: – All will understand who was present at the Paris Peace Conference, and why. – All will be able to explain how the “Big Three” felt about Germany after the war. – Most will be able to use this knowledge to answer a GCSE style question. Where was the meeting?

• The beautiful “Hall of Mirrors” at the Palace of Versailles.

• This was where France had surr ende red to Germany in 1871 (F______‐P______War) Who was at the meeting?

The Big Three were in charge Two countries were banned: • BRITAIN • RUSSIA (not invited) • FRANCE • GERMANY (made to sit outside the • AMERICA meeting) Other countries were present ITALY; BELGIUM; TURKEY; AUSTRALIA; IRELAND; CHINA; JAPAN, etc. Quick thinking notes:

• Who were the Big Three? • Why were the Big Three in charge of the meeting? • Who were bdbanned, and whh?y? • Name three other countries who were present. • Why did they use Versa illes for the meeting ? What did Britain want?

• The pppeople of Britain wanted REVENGE of Germany. They David Lloyd George, British wanted Germany to pay for what Prime Minister they had done to Europe. • They also wanted to weaken Germany so that they could not compete with Britain again. (Imperialism?) • BUT some British experts, lklike a man called Keynes, said that punishing Germany would cause problems in the future. • So Lloyd George wanted to punish Germany a bit, but not too much and risk future war. What did France want?

Georges Clemenceau, French • France wanted REVENGE on Germany. President • (he was nicknamed “The Tiger) They wanted to do more than make Germany pay, they wanted to CRUSH Germany. • France demanded so much money and land from Germany that they would never recover. • They wanted to make sure that Germany would never threaten them again. • At the start of the conference, Clemenceau gave everyone a book on how to punish Germany – before they even decided Germany was guilty... What did USA want?

• USA wanted to solve the problems in Europe. Woodrow Wilson, American • They wanted SOME punishment for President Germany but they wanted peace more. • Wilson had presented a plan called the “14 Points” to Germany before they surrendered. It called for fair treatment of all countries, including Germany. • Above all, USA wanted to make sure that no more wars happened. WW1 had cost them a lot, and they wanted to leave Europe alone. What did Germany expect?

Friedrich Ebert, 1st President of • Germany knew they were losing the Germany (he took over from the war, but they were not beaten. They Kaiser on the day that Germany surrendered) thought they had signed a peace agreement, not actually surrendered. • When the signed the Armistice, the Germans expected to follow the American “14 Points” Plan which proposed a fair peace discussion. • Because they hdhad got rid of the Kaiser and created a democratic gg,overnment, they expected to be included in a proper discussion. • They expected to have their opinions listened to at the conference. AQA GCSE style question B This cartoon by a British artist appeared in Punch on 19 February 1919. It shows a French and British policeman tie up Germany in ropes that say “Armistice Terms”.

The caption read:

German Criminal to Allied Police: Here, I say, stop! You're hurting me! (Aside: If I only whine enough I may be able to wriggle out of this yet.)

Source A suggests how Britain and France felt about Germany at the Treaty of Versailles. Do you agree that the source shows how the British and French public felt about Germany? Explain your answer by referring to the purpose of the source, as well as using its content and your knowledge. 6 marks