The “Big Three” at the VersaillesThe  Big Three  at the Versailles Conference

What did the leaders of France,What did the leaders of France, America and Britain want at the 

Versailles Conference?Versailles Conference?

ObjectivesObjectives

• By the end of this lesson:– All will understand who was present at the Paris pPeace Conference, and why.

– All will be able to explain how the “Big Three” feltAll 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– Most will be able to use this knowledge to answer a GCSE style question.

Where was the meeting?Where was the meeting?

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

• This was where France had surrendered to ad su e de ed oGermany in 1871 (F ‐P  ( _______ _______War)

Who was at the meeting?Who was at the meeting?

The Big Three were in charge

• BRITAINTwo countries were banned:

• RUSSIA (not invited)• BRITAIN • FRANCE

RUSSIA (not invited)• GERMANY (made to 

i id hC• AMERICA

sit outside the meeting) 

Other countries were present

ITALY BELGIUM TURKEY AUSTRALIAITALY; BELGIUM; TURKEY; AUSTRALIA; IRELAND; CHINA; JAPAN, etc.

Quick thinking notes:Quick thinking notes:

• Who were the Big Three?• Why were the Big Three in charge of theWhy were the Big Three in charge of the meeting?Wh b d d h ?• Who were banned, and why?

• Name three other countries who were present.Wh did th V ill f th ti ?• Why did they use Versailles for the meeting?

What did Britain want?What did Britain want?• The people of Britain wanted p p

REVENGE of Germany.  They wanted Germany to pay for what they had done to Europe

David Lloyd George, British Prime Minister

they had done to Europe. • They also wanted to weaken 

Germany so that they could not y ycompete with Britain again. (Imperialism?)

h l k• BUT some British experts, like a man called Keynes, said that punishing Germany would causepunishing Germany would cause problems in the future.

• So Lloyd George wanted to h b bpunish Germany a bit, but not 

too much and risk future war.

What did France want?What did France want?• France wanted REVENGE on Germany.Georges Clemenceau, French France wanted REVENGE on Germany.• They wanted to do more than make 

Germany pay, they wanted to CRUSH 

Georges Clemenceau, French President

(he was nicknamed “The Tiger)

Germany.• France demanded so much money 

and land from Germany that theyand land from Germany that they would never recover.

• They wanted to make sure that yGermany would never threaten them again.

• At the start of the conference, Clemenceau gave everyone a book on how to punish Germany – before theyhow to punish Germany  before they even decided Germany was guilty...

What did USA want?What did USA want?• USA wanted to solve the problemsUSA wanted to solve the problems 

in Europe.• They wanted SOME punishment for 

Woodrow Wilson, American President

Germany but they wanted peace more.

• Wilson had presented a plan called• 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• 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?What did Germany expect?Friedrich Ebert, 1st President of • Germany knew they were losing the Friedrich Ebert, 1 President of Germany (he took over from the Kaiser on the day that Germany 

surrendered)

war, but they were not beaten.  They thought they had signed a peace agreement not actually surrenderedagreement, not actually surrendered.

• When the signed the Armistice, the Germans expected to follow the pAmerican “14 Points” Plan which proposed a fair peace discussion.

h h d id f h• Because they had got rid of the Kaiser and created a democratic government, they expected to be g , y pincluded in a proper discussion.

• They expected to have their opinions listened to at the conference.

AQA GCSE style question BAQA GCSE style question BThis cartoon by a British artist appeared in Punch on 19 February 1919 It shows aPunch on 19 February 1919.   It shows a French and British policeman tie up Germany in ropes that say “Armistice Terms”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 ( y g yto 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?y g p yExplain your answer by referring to the purpose of the source, as well as using itscontent and your knowledge.  6 marks