US: Woodrow Wilson and the Fourteen Points
Woodrow Wilson was the 28th elected president of United States. During his presidency, he concentrated on issues such as anti-trust legislation to ensure that the citizens of America got a fair system, and reorganizing of the federal banking system. During the Paris Peace Conference, President Wilson promotes those in power to be punished, but not the people. He suggested The Fourteen Points and League of Nations to maintain peace and harmony in the world. However, both the Fourteen Points and the League of Nation were just empty ideas and empty words that were not effective and not taken into action. He was an idealist with great ideas but far from achievable and realistic.
Fourteen Points
1. No more secret agreements ("Open covenants openly arrived at").
2. Free navigation of all seas.
3. An end to all economic barriers between countries.
4. Countries to reduce weapon numbers.
5. All decisions regarding the colonies should be impartial
6. The German Army is to be removed from Russia. Russia should be left to develop
her own political set-up.
7. Belgium should be independent like before the war.
8. France should be fully liberated and allowed to recover Alsace-Lorraine
9. All Italians are to be allowed to live in Italy. Italy's borders are to "along
clearly recognisable lines of nationality."
10. Self-determination should be allowed for all those living in Austria-Hungary.
11. Self-determination and guarantees of independence should be allowed for
the Balkan states.
12. The Turkish people should be governed by the Turkish government. Non-Turks in
the old Turkish Empire should govern themselves.
13. An independent Poland should be created which should have access to the sea.
14. A League of Nations should be set up to guarantee the political and territorial
France: Georges Clemenceau
Georges Clemenceau was the French representative at the Paris Peace Conference. He wanted the Treaty of Versailles to ruin Germany, where as Britain wanted a non-emotive approach to the punishments. He was appointed the the French Prime Minister in 1906 and lasted for two and three quarter years, the second longest in the history of the Third Republic. Then he was appointed the Prime Minister once again in 1917 November and led the French delegation at the peace talks.
GB: David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George was a British politician. His main aim for the Versailles Treaty was to stay on good terms with Germany. Even though he believed Germany should pay for the damage they have caused, he didn't want to end on bad terms with Germany since he was afraid it'd spark another war, and also because Germany was one of the major trading partner with his own country, Britain.
Italy: Vittorio Orlando
Vittorio Orlando was a Italian leader who was forced to resign just days before the Versailles Treaty was signed. However, the aim he wanted to achieve while he was still in power was to gain territory from Hungary and Austria. Furthermore, while he was still in power, he believed Italy would be treated as an equal at the Versailles.
German Peace Delegation (Count von Brockdorff-Rantzau)
German Peace Delegation Count von Brockdroff-Rantzau wrote a letter addressed to the Paris Peace Conference president Georges Clemenceau in May 1919 in regards to the subject of peace terms. The main aim of the letter was to inform that Germany knows they must 'make sacrifices to attain peace', however they had some counter proposals they wanted others to know of.
Woodrow Wilson was the 28th elected president of United States. During his presidency, he concentrated on issues such as anti-trust legislation to ensure that the citizens of America got a fair system, and reorganizing of the federal banking system. During the Paris Peace Conference, President Wilson promotes those in power to be punished, but not the people. He suggested The Fourteen Points and League of Nations to maintain peace and harmony in the world. However, both the Fourteen Points and the League of Nation were just empty ideas and empty words that were not effective and not taken into action. He was an idealist with great ideas but far from achievable and realistic.
Fourteen Points
1. No more secret agreements ("Open covenants openly arrived at").
2. Free navigation of all seas.
3. An end to all economic barriers between countries.
4. Countries to reduce weapon numbers.
5. All decisions regarding the colonies should be impartial
6. The German Army is to be removed from Russia. Russia should be left to develop
her own political set-up.
7. Belgium should be independent like before the war.
8. France should be fully liberated and allowed to recover Alsace-Lorraine
9. All Italians are to be allowed to live in Italy. Italy's borders are to "along
clearly recognisable lines of nationality."
10. Self-determination should be allowed for all those living in Austria-Hungary.
11. Self-determination and guarantees of independence should be allowed for
the Balkan states.
12. The Turkish people should be governed by the Turkish government. Non-Turks in
the old Turkish Empire should govern themselves.
13. An independent Poland should be created which should have access to the sea.
14. A League of Nations should be set up to guarantee the political and territorial
independence of all states.
(SOURCE: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/woodrow_wilson1.htm)
France: Georges Clemenceau
Georges Clemenceau was the French representative at the Paris Peace Conference. He wanted the Treaty of Versailles to ruin Germany, where as Britain wanted a non-emotive approach to the punishments. He was appointed the the French Prime Minister in 1906 and lasted for two and three quarter years, the second longest in the history of the Third Republic. Then he was appointed the Prime Minister once again in 1917 November and led the French delegation at the peace talks.
GB: David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George was a British politician. His main aim for the Versailles Treaty was to stay on good terms with Germany. Even though he believed Germany should pay for the damage they have caused, he didn't want to end on bad terms with Germany since he was afraid it'd spark another war, and also because Germany was one of the major trading partner with his own country, Britain.
Italy: Vittorio Orlando
Vittorio Orlando was a Italian leader who was forced to resign just days before the Versailles Treaty was signed. However, the aim he wanted to achieve while he was still in power was to gain territory from Hungary and Austria. Furthermore, while he was still in power, he believed Italy would be treated as an equal at the Versailles.
German Peace Delegation (Count von Brockdorff-Rantzau)
German Peace Delegation Count von Brockdroff-Rantzau wrote a letter addressed to the Paris Peace Conference president Georges Clemenceau in May 1919 in regards to the subject of peace terms. The main aim of the letter was to inform that Germany knows they must 'make sacrifices to attain peace', however they had some counter proposals they wanted others to know of.
(http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/parispeaceconf_germanprotest1.htm contains the primary source, which lists all the counter proposals)