The Big Three

Question 1

When was the Paris Peace Conference?

Answer 1

January 1919.

Question 2

Who led the Paris Peace Conference?

Answer 2

-David Lloyd George
-Georges Clemenceau
-Woodrow Wilson

Question 3

Give 3 reasons why the French wanted revenge:

Answer 3

-Much of the fighting took place in France, particularly the north-east
-The Germans destroyed many mines, railways, factories bridges and farmland
-The French suffered the most deaths

Question 4

What 4 things did Clemenceau want?

Answer 4

-Cripple Germany so it was never powerful enough to attack France again
-Germany’s armed forces reduced
-Germany’s borders to be pushed back to the Rhine, taking away its defences
-For Germany to pay compensation

Question 5

Why was Lloyd George elected by the British public?

Answer 5

As he promised to make ‘Germany pay’.

Question 6

Why did many people of Britain want revenge?

Answer 6

As many young British men died in the trenches.

Question 7

Give 4 reasons why Lloyd George was more cautious than Clemenceau:

Answer 7

-He didn’t want to be too harsh or Germany could want revenge
-He wanted to keep Germany quite strong so Britain could trade with it
-He wanted to stop other countries in Europe from becoming too powerful
-Lloyd George was determined to gain German colonies

Question 8

What did Lloyg George see the peace talks as a good opportunity for?

Answer 8

To reduce the Germany navy to stop it from rivalling Britain’s.

Question 9

Why did most Americans see no need for revenge?

Answer 9

During the war no fighting took place on American soil and America made lots of money selling weapons to the allies.

Question 10

What was Wilson similarly concerned about with being too harsh on Germany?

Answer 10

That it could lead to another war.

Question 11

What was Wilson?

Answer 11

An idealist, a dreamer who wasn’t very practical.

Question 12

What did Wilson suggest be set up?

Answer 12

A world parliament called the League of Nations, where countries could work and trade together to make war less likely.

Question 13

Give 2 themes Wilson believed in:

Answer 13

-Self-determination; allowing countries the freedom to rule themselves
-‘Freedom of the seas’; everyone could sail trading ships wherever they wanted.

Question 14

What were the collection of Wilson’s ideas known as?

Answer 14

The Fourteen Points

Question 15

What 5 factors affected the decisions of the Big Three at the Paris Peace Conference?

Answer 15

-The armistice
-Prior agreements
-Conflicts of interest
-Time constraints
-A changing Europe

Question 16

How had the armistice caused conflict in their decisions?

Answer 16

Clemenceau used the fact that Germany had agreed to the principles (reparations, giving Alsace-Lorraine back and moving out of the Rhineland) in the armistice to argue that they should appear in the final treaty.

Question 17

Give 2 examples of prior agreements which gave the Big Three more to argue over:

Answer 17

-Italy had been promised land from the Austro-Hungarian Empire
-Japan had been told that their claims on land in China would be supported

Question 18

How long did the Paris Peace Conference last?

Answer 18

12 months.

Question 19

Diplomats from how many countries were at the Conference?

Answer 19

32

Question 20

Why were the Big Three pressured so much to come to a decision quickly?

Answer 20

Various countries were keen to be given reparations , so that they could start rebuilding their economies.

Question 21

Give 2 ways Europe had changed which made it unstable:

Answer 21

-Countries were now breaking away and declaring independence from the Austria-Hungary empire
-A revolution had broken out in 1917 in Russia, where the Tsar (Russian Emperor) and his family were assassinated and the Communists had taken over

Question 22

Give 4 other points of Wilson’s Fourteen Points:

Answer 22

-Disarmament
-No secret treaties
-Self-determination in the Austrio-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires
-An independent Polish state to be created, with access to the sea